LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



tan 



Shelf ...Ife-. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



WHY WE LIVE. 



BY 



SUMMERDALE 



THtu~t 



"In my Father's house are many mansions; I go to prepare a place 
for you." — St. John, 14:2. 







CHICAGO: 

Howard, White & Co., Printers, 156 Washington St. 

1880. 



^ 



& 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1880, by 

ALEXANDER YOUNG, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C 



I Inscribe this Small Work 

Co mg Wiiiz, 

Who stood at mt side in the hour of Adversity, clothed 

in the same pure robe op constancy that she 

wore when a bride in the brightness 

oe Prosperity. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



PAGE. 



Eusebius in a Dream Enters the Confines of Heaven.— The Arch- 
angel Gabriel Keveals to Him the Vocation of an Archangel 
and the State of the Redeemed.— He is Entranced by a Sight of 
the Promised Land.— He Meets Angelic Friends ; with them 
He Crosses the Jordan and Enters the Abodes of the Blest.— 
The Story of Abella and Caina.— Altheous and His Kindred 
Return to Earth and Escort the Freed Spirit of His Wife to 
Heaven. - 11-29 

CHAPTER II. 

Eusebius Beholds New Wonders.— The Airarchs, or Child Angels.— 
He Visits the Gallery of Angelic Art.— The Airarch Alva Gives 
Him the History of the Statue of His Mortal Body.— Gabrela is 
Welcomed to Paradise— The Field of Eden— The River of 
Bliss.— The Holy Temple of the Palace of Immanuel.— Pisgah.— 
The Redemption of the Dwellers of Hadea by Immanuel.— The 
Reunion of Alva and His Father and the Welcome of Alvero to 
the Home of Altheous. ------ 30-50 

CHAPTER III. 

The Re-united Family.— The History of Paul, Paulina and their 
Child.— Gabriel Calls the Soul of Paulina from Earth and Gives 
Her the Name of Eola.— She is Conducted by Angelic Friends 
to Heaven and is Instructed in Heavenly Wisdom.— Alvero and 
Eola Re-united and Ordained as Angels by Immanuel.— Eola 
Created a Mansion and Embellished it with Statuary for Her 
Family.— The Cascades of Delphia— Message of Vernecis to 
Gabrela. -------- 51-74 

CHAPTER IY. 

The Sleep Which He Giveth His Beloved.— Meeting of Vernecis 
and His Sister Fidelia.— Fidelia With Her Friends Crosses the 
River of Paradise and Beholds the Glories of Heaven.— Im- 
manuel Reveals Himself Unto Them, and Ordains Gabrela and 
Fidelia as Angels.— Fidelia is Taken by Her Friends to the 
Home of Altheous.— The Elysian Fields the Dwelling Place of 
the Cherubim. ------- 75-82 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER V. 



PAGE. 



The Worship of Jehovah in the Temple.— Gabrela's Works of Art. 
—The Worship of the Divine Immanuel.— Immanuel the 
Creator of the Earth and Hadea— The Holy of Holies.— The 
Gift of Aerial Flight.— The Home of Alvero and Eola.— The 
Temples Belonging to Oriental Nations.— Ormond and Homilia. 
— Effendi Creates a Barge. - - - - -83-93 

CHAPTER VI. 

Fields of Elysium.— Memorial Monuments of the Dead.— The Ever- 
lasting Sleep.— The Ministration of Cherubim.— The Aerial 
Flight.— The Reunion of Nationalities.-The Archangel Ignatia. 
—The Repose in the Temple and Communion with Immanuel. 
—Lucifer, the Son of the Morning.— Lucifer and His Follow- 
ers Sleep the Eternal Sleep.— Immanuel the Savior of Man- 
kind and the Creator of the Earth and Hadea.— The Com- 
munion with Immanuel in His Holy Temple.— Revelations to 
the Soul of Man in the Visions of the Night.— The Divine 
Palace of Lucifer.— Inspired Words of Fidelia. - - 94-116 

CHAPTER VII. 

Immanuel Worships Jehovah.— Story of Caina.— Ministration of 
Child- Angels to the Dwellers of Hadea.— The Redemption of 
Souls.— A Cherub's Inspired Words.— The Immutable Laws 
of the Eternal World.— The Creative Power of Mind.— The 
Tablet of Conscience.— The New Jerusalem. - - 117-135 



PREFACE. 



In sending forth this little volume, like a waif upon the sea of 
literature, I beg leave to inform its readers that it is the author's 
first venture, and as a first offense is always treated with leniency 
I hope that his work will not meet with an undue measure of 
censure. He seeks not to place his name high upon the tablets 
of fame, but he would fain lead others to a consideration of the 
glorious truths which have been to him a beacon light when 
tossed upon the waves of adversity. 

The glory to be revealed to us when we pass from the shore of 
time to that of eternity is far beyond the imagination of finite be- 
ings, but we may well believe that sometimes a ray from the 
golden gates ajar illumines our pathway, dispersing the clouds 
in our earthly sky, and some faint echo from the music of the 
spheres may be heard, even as the angelic strains gladdened the 
hearts of the shepherds of Bethlehem. 

The shining ladder, upon which angels ascend and descend* 
still forms a link between earth and heaven as of old, though in- 
visible to mortal eyes. There is still a compensation for every 
cross we patiently bear ; rest for the weary ; a heavenly home and 
friends for the desolate ; and Immanuel, our hope, our consola- 
tion, liveth forever. 

Could we but realize that the Bow of Promise ever spans the 
darkest cloud ; that after storm comes the sunshine , that the love 
and tender mercy of our Father is over all ; that every day, if 
rightly spent, adds to our eternal treasures; how light would 



8 PREFACE. 

seem our daily trials, and how much more watchful would we be 
to keep our robes spotless while awaiting the call of our Master, 

The blessedness of hope and joy, the foretaste of the bliss pre- 
pared tor us may now be ours, and that others may be led to 
more frequent contemplation of the divine love and the future 
happiness of the redeemed, the author has endeavored to embody 
in the form of a vision his own views of this life and the life be- 
yond the vale. 

There are not many households where there is no vacant 
chair ; and O, may the hope of that blessed re-union and the 
knowledge of the ministration of the departed be to us like the 
Star of Bethlehem, guiding us heavenward. 
» May the bereaved mothers who, like Rachel, refuse to be com- 
forted, see in the little Airarqhs, the child angels, the types of 
their own loved ones ; not lost, but translated to the mansions of 
light, to await their coming. May the perusal of these pages 
bring the realization of these truths to every mind, that the future 
life is a glorious reality and that heaven is not far away. 

I earnestly hope that this seemingly prophetic vision may give 
to others the pleasure and consolation which I have derived from 
it, and I commend it to all who look for a better country, even a 
heavenly. 

MRS. C. L. SHACKLOCK. 

La Porte, Ind. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In presenting this small work to the public, 1 seek to share 
with my readers some views of the future life, which have been 
an unfailing source of consolation and sweet communion 
between the dear partner of my life and myself, under the 
influence of which we have been encouraged to press on through 
the storms of life as well as its sunshine. 

And as I have written out the following thoughts for our 
own satisfaction and encouragement, I feel confident that they 
will afford an occasional reader a portion of the same enjoy, 
rnent; for we are all journeying toward that promised Haven of 
Rest, while many are so near as to almost touch the veil which 
hides its sacred glories. 

For one to hear the fireside conversation of a family of 
parents and children, as each one paints with earnest tones the 
vivid picture of a better land, where they hope to find a happier 
home, would be to realize the joy of the pilgrim, as he paints 
upon the canvas of his imagination the picture of his beautiful 
home in Heaven. 

Being first established in our faith in the certainty of an 
Eternal Source and Center of creative power, we have around us 
an evidence that the Eternal Source and Fountain of all things 
is wrapped in the pure and beautiful folds of infinite love and 
compassion; for, let us query, Is man, whose better nature 
breathes love and compassion to his race and for suffering every- 
where, more compassionate and loving than his Creator? The 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

voice of God, out of the depth of our surroundings, breathes 
forth its silent answer, in a language of convincing power, wherein 
we learn that except the source and fountain overflows with the 
balm of love and compassion, we would not perceive its odor or 
feel its healing virtue in the issuing stream. And what are its 
streams but the continual outflowing of life immortal, even 
though it be wrapped in a casket of mortal frailties, in which 
we, as children of our Heavenly Father, are to dwell, until our 
probation is over, and our time has come to inherit the crown 
prepared for us, if so it be that we are worthy of it. 

I have called into use the character of Lucifer, in connection 
with that of Immanuel, by the way of an allegory, to show that 
not only in our Savior have we infinite love, but that in Jehovah 
it is one of the supreme attributes. 

If the question should be raised as to the Archangels and 
Seraphs not tasting with Immanuel of the infirmities of the flesh, 
the answer will be that our Kedeemer, having realized the 
sorrows and infirmities of his children, was ordained by His 
Father, as a fit teacher of His own exalted servants in the sub- 
lime attribute of compassion, of which He Himself became 
possessor, and which they drank in with that facility which so 
well becomes beings accustomed to visiting the afflicted, the sick, 
and the dying, a vocation finding its impulse in this beautiful 
compassion which permeates the life and character of every 
angelic being, even the better part of frail humanity. 

THE AUTHOR. 



WHY WE LIVE. 



CHAPTER I. 

Eusebius in a Dream Enters the Confines of Heaven.— The Archangel 
Gabriel Eeveals to Him the Vocation of an Archangel and the State 
of the Redeemed.— He is Entranced by a Sight of the Promised 
Land.— He Meets Angelic Friends ; with them He Crosses the Jordan 
and Enters the Abodes of the Blest.— The Story of Abella and Caina. 
— Altheous and His Kindred Return to Earth and Escort the Freed 
Spirit of His Wife to Heaven. 

Amid the solitude of the place, the glory of the 
fast departing day and the crimson brilliancy of a 
western sky, shedding its evening light upon the 
landscape around, Eusebius reclined for repose be- 
neath the trembling foliage of the lofty boughs of 
an ancient oak;^ lost in the wilderness of thought 
and the revery of meditation, he was soon veiled 
in the oblivion of sleep, but it was a continuous 
dream, wherein he wandered among the beatitudes 
of heaven, of which he now speaks. 

From far out into the blue sky of eternity, 
from far above the surging throes of the conflicting 
interests of restless humanity, there seemed to fall 
upon my sensitive ear the sweet vibrations of 
heavenly music, not known to mortal ears; each 



12 WHY WE LIVE. 

moment the strains of music and of song became 
more soul -thrilling and intensified. And now I 
stood gazing upward and before a world unveiled, 
and beheld the glory of Archangels and angels, 
the disembodied souls from every nation, kindred, 
tongue and creed, as they ascended and descended 
or coursed their way through the trackless air or 
void above me, on missions of mercy and love. I 
now saw plainly that but a few days' journey up- 
wards and outwards, beyond the atmosphere of 
this material world, there would be found by 
nearly all of us, in due time, a region of calm 
peace, a Paradise for the weary, the afflicted and 
the tempest-tossed. To spiritual eyes it seemed a 
world as intensely material as this transitory 
world appears to the mortal vision, where were 
hills and vales, rivers and lakes, also the habita- 
tions of the angels, the proportion and appearance 
of which mark the distinction of one angel from 
another, showing the abundance of his gifts, 
among which is the power of mind over matter. 

While this mortal world seems so intensely 
material, it is but a transient world of shadows; a 
mere fac simile of that spiritual world whose man- 
sions are not made with hands, and whose fruitful 
trees and vines yield not their products by the toil 
of the weary or the sweat of their brows, but by 



WHY WE LIVE. 13 

the power of the gift of Immanuel, Whose throne 
is in the midst of Paradise. 

I was informed of these things by an angel 
who seemed to be a Prince among the powers of 
the air, and the only one with whom I was yet 
privileged to hold commnnion. Aronnd his brow 
shone a diadem of gold and precious stones; his 
voice was most heavenly; with its every intonation 
I felt the effect of his thrilling power through 
every nerve; in his presence I seemed without 
power to move, excepting as he willed it. Said 
he: 

" I am an Archangel and one who is often sur- 
rounded by a legion of angels, who have been long 
watching and waiting for loved ones on earth to 
be translated from couches of sickness or from 
lives of temptation and woe into a world of eter- 
nal rest and peace; and the angels, knowing my 
vocation is to gather these kindred and friends 
into their eternal homes, start at the sound of the 
trumpet's call, which vibrates through the vernal 
beauties of that pleasant home, and those who 
have often visited and long waited for and watched 
over some loved one, or from a sense of duty stood 
at the side of the friendless and desolate, now 
again return with the throng, this time to receive 
with joyous welcome the ones to whom they have 



14 WHY WE LIVE. 

been guardian angels so long, and for whom they 
have crossed the mighty Jordan and traversed the 
trackless void, which lies between the promised 
land and this dark world of mortality, a thousand 
times or more. 

"And as I lean over the soul struggling to be 
free from its mortal prison, the hosts around me 
love to sing Immanuel's praise, because of the 
mighty wand of death, which thus delivers the 
captive from his prison house of clay. And then 
as I speak in the power of my most holy calling, 
1 Son of man, arise! angels, receive the new born 
babe!' the kindred and those who have been 
guardian angels to the new comer form an escort 
to cross the trackless Erebus. 

"This dark region is never without some band 
of ministering angels going earthward or returning 
with their prize and their joy, which may be a 
parent, a brother, sister, child or friend, and never 
without the joyous strain of heavenly music and 
the shouts of praise and thanksgiving to their be- 
loved Immanuel. 

" Thus the vocations of the angels are continual 
and full of joy; there is no homeless or desolate 
one; no tempted or forsaken; nay, none, however 
much the dark clouds of affliction have overtaken 
him, who has not some ministering spirit to guide 



WHY WE LIVE. 15 

his faltering steps and to receive him with a joy- 
ous manifestation at his deliverance from captivity. 
And as he nears the confines of that happy world, 
his kindred, who have gone before, shall leave 
their homes in that vernal clime, to be of the band 
who will be the joyous escort to accompany him 
across the darksome vale and over the mighty 
flood, into the paradise of rest, to receive a house 
not made with hands, but by the power of the will 
of angels. ' ' 

As we were now nearing the beautiful land of 
Immanuel and the green fields of Elysium my joy 
was ecstatic. I was as one intoxicated, and my 
surprise being plainly manifested, the Archangel, 
whose name I now found to be Gabriel, spoke in 
that happy style which betrayed the continual joy 
of his busy life, and said: 

"The redeemed of Paradise are composed of 
souls that have escaped from their prison house of 
mortal clay; there is for them no more care, no 
more passion or strife, which once had their origin 
in the necessities of the mortal body, because the 
soul has escaped from that temporal body and has 
now a spiritual one, which has far different neces - 
sities, and which necessities have no motive power 
in his life and conduct. Hence his life is serene 
and happy, because rest and peace from accus- 



16 WHY WE LIVE. 

tomed strife is his portion forever, and he is ever 
conscious of his high estate." 

Now the glittering emblems, as they reflected 
from the tall spires and the lofty domes and the 
golden temples of Immanuel's eternal city, glis- 
tened in the morning light across the mighty wa- 
ters of Jordan. I breathed the fragrance of ripe 
fruits and of the flowers of an eternal summer. 

It seemed now as if I could go no farther to- 
wards such an overwhelming glory. I said : 

"0, G-abriel ! thou who art esteemed so emi- 
nently holy, if I cannot endure the distant sight 
of the Promised Land, how can I live in the midst 
of its glory and dwell in its peaceful vales ?" 

' ' Fear not, my child, ' ' said Gabriel, ' ' thou shalt 
see greater things than these, even that beautiful 
vale and the hills where thy kindred dwell and 
who have been forming a little band to meet thee ; 
therefore were busily engaged in making wreaths 
and garlands of fragrant flowers to deck themselves 
and thee ; but now I must leave thee for a season, 
for behold they are near." 

In a moment I saw him no more, save the mystic 
cloud which veiled him from my sight, and sped 
its way towards the divine palace and throne of 
Immanuel, which reflects the majestic glory of its 
golden roof upwards and against the ever present 



WHY WE LIVE. 17 

mystic cloud, which overshadows it as a halo of 
glory. 

And now I heard familiar voices mingling with 
strains of mnsic, and my own name as the subject 
of their angelic melody. Now they were aronnd 
me ; each one grasped me by the hand, and, with 
a kiss, sang sweet solos of welcome ; then I was 
crowned with a garland of fragrant flowers. Then 
we turned towards the eternal homes of the blest. 
We had now to cross the peaceful bosom of Jor- 
dan, the tide of which flows on with the ever gentle 
murmurings of peace, and on the opposite side, 
where the shores of Paradise dip gently into its 
placid waters, I beheld myriads of heavenly be- 
ings rejoicing in pleasant and shady groves. But 
Jordan is a turbid flood to those who seek to cross 
its waters against the will of Immanuel. Of its 
peculiarities I will be led to speak hereafter. 

As it was ordained from the beginning of time 
by Immanuel, that but few angels, beside the 
Archangels, Seraphs, Cherubim and Airarchs of 
Paradise, should cross over Jordan without pass- 
ing through its waters, it became necessary for our 
little company to call upon one of our kindred 
named Altheous, whom Immanuel endowed with 
gifts above the rest of them, because of his great 
deeds, when being tried with a tempestuous body 

8 



18 WHY WE LIVE. 

in the darkness of the world, and having con- 
quered many of the propensities of his mortal na- 
ture, Immanuel decked him with a jeweled crown 
and confirmed his power, not only over his own 
nature, which is the common gift of all angels, but 
also the power of his immortal mind over matter 
to a great extent. And thus, by the power of his 
mind over matter, he formed for our little band a 
beautiful bark, with the symbol of " Welcome" 
upon its bow. As we glided swiftly through the 
waters I was led to exclaim : 

" O, the happy throng in their spotless robes of 
white, with whom I now share the final joy of a 
place among the redeemed !" 

For the angels, of whom I saw so many on the 
river and along the shore of the Elysian Fields, 
seemed radiant with the consciousness of their su- 
preme happiness. Said Altheous : 

" They know not the wasting hand of time; they 
know the certainty of an enduring life of peace." 

We now reached the opposite shore. When the 
last one stood upon the pebbly strand, we turned 
towards a waiting chariot, our bark having re- 
solved itself back again into the watery flood. 

Having learned of the great will power of many 
of the angels over matter and the elements of the 
spiritual world, I was not much astonished at see- 



WHY WE LIVE. 19- 

ing a chariot not made with hands, or even when 
I saw how smoothly and majestically we wheeled 
along the golden pavements of the Eternal City, 
or made our way beneath the overspreading 
branches of wayside trees, borne down with fra- 
grant fruits and flowers. 

As we continually passed the mansions of the 
blest and saw the sweet and peaceful enjoyment 
of their occupants, my soul seemed to partake of 
the transcendant bliss around me. On our war 
along this joyful route we were continually meet- 
ing the shining chariots of angels as they were go- 
ing to and from their kindred and friends scattered 
over the hills and vales of Paradise. 

It seemed strange that we were now without the 
power of traversing the air ; but Altheous now 
spoke and said : 

"That power is accorded to all at times ; all 
who have a mission to the realms of earth to 
soothe the sore wounds of the tempted and tossed 
or to watch at the bedside of the sick and dying, 
or go to welcome and escort one much loved and 
long looked for to this happy place of the re- 
deemed. But not until they have crossed the 
stream of Jordan earthward can they take their 
flight, except upon occasions of which I shall 
hereafter speak. But the Archangels, Seraphs and 



20 WHY WE LIVE. 

certain ones of the redeemed of Paradise go whith- 
er they will in their heavenly missions of duty." 

Turning from his subject somewhat abruptly, 
Altheous again said : 

"In yonder house at the foot of that sloping 
green, from whence the fragrance of violets im- 
parts such a rich perfume to the air, and over 
which you can see those hanging clusters of ripe 
fruit, and close by that fountain where the pebbled 
brook receives its wasted waters and winds itself 
away into the verdure of the gardens beyond, you 
behold the dwelling in which two happy brothers 
live with their families, while their kindred clus- 
ter near them in beautiful dwelling places of their 
own. Abella and Caina are their names. They 
have lived on this spot for nearly six thousand 
years, according to the calendar of earth. 

"Abella abounds in the rare gifts of mental 
power, by which he formed his beautiful house 
from a crystal rock, and has willed from the ele- 
ments around him those lofty trees bending with 
foliage and fragrant flowers, and yonder grove 
with bending boughs of ripe fruits, and the ver- 
dure which carpets so smoothly the rolling lawns. 
And their beautiful chariot he also made by the 
gift of that mental power. But Caina abounds in 
no gifts, save those which are common to all the 



WHY WE LIVE. 21 

angels in heaven ; among which are the supreme 
control over his own mind and body, and possess- 
ing the gift of silent correspondence which exists 
between them when widely separated. Yet Caina 
is supremely happy ; a halo of serene peace per- 
vades the atmosphere around him ; a cord of pure 
love, as a silver chain, enduring as eternity itself, 
binds them together. 

"The antiquity of their home is often revered 
by angels of later birth as they pass the noted 
place." 

So intently was I listening to the affecting story 
of Abella and Caina that I was not aware of our 
nearness to the home of Altheous until the sweet 
tones of music and the welcome songs of children 
were heard, who gathered around the pearly gate- 
way, each one with garlands of flowers, which 
they, with one accord, showered upon me. Be- 
ing a new-born child of heaven, the fragrance 
thereof and the songs of welcome, and, more than 
all, the sight of these little ones coming to meet 
me, and all the glory which I thus far beheld, 
caused me to fall upon my face towards the throne 
of Immanuel in adoration and thanksgiving for 
such rest and peace, reserved for even the least of 
His children now journeying through the dark 
vale of mortality. 



22 WHY WE LIVE. 

While thus engaged, the melody of happy voices 
proclaimed loud praises to Him Who made the 
earth, its mortality, its necessities, its sorrows, its 
temptations and death, and thus made us angels to 
live in blessed immortality. 

We now descended from the chariot, and I real- 
ized for the first time the final meeting of all my 
earthly kindred who have gone before me, many 
of whom have ministered unto me when clouds of 
darkness seemed to hide me from every hope, and 
finally brought me as a welcome guest to share 
their joys in this their happy home forever. 

Among the household of Altheous there were 
many wearing coronets of gold and of silver, the 
number of jewels set therein being according to 
the degree of the power of mind over matter, 
which is the unfailing reward of the righteous 
who have passed through the probations of a for- 
mer life with a pure, unsullied record, and there 
were many also possessing no gifts save those 
common to the angels of heaven, among which 
were the sure guaranty of a beautiful and happy 
home in Paradise among loved ones from whom 
they have long been separated, and the perfect 
subjection of their bodies and their lives to the will 
of Immanuel, which is written upon their hearts 
with indelible clearness. 



WHY WE LIVE. 23 

But then it is an eternal and universal necessity 
of Paradise, that the angels of heaven, who pos- 
sess no gifts and wear no seraphic emblems upon 
their brows shall receive of those who have, and 
those from whom they receive shall rejoice to 
give ; and, furthermore, though divested of those 
many emblems of seraphic dignity and power, 
their clear remembrance of the conflicts of the past 
during their seemingly long probation in the region 
of mutability, and how often temptations over-' 
came them, and how utterly unworthy their own 
consciences taught them to feel, bring to them the 
keenest realization of their present and eternal 
happiness, with no more temptation to disobey 
Immanuel's will, but to rejoice in the sunshine of 
obedience to Him and His eternal laws. 

Now, Altheous, having heard the sound of Ga- 
briel' s trumpet, as its vibrations touched the ears 
of many expecting ones who have long been wait- 
ing for the allotted time when they, too, shall 
once again welcome some dear kindred by the 
hand to a more enduring home with them in Par- 
adise, moves along his ever- willing chariot. It is 
now beneath the marble porch of the heavenly 
mansion waiting. .Altheous is now seated, and his 
daughter Mara, filled with expectant joy, is at his 
side. She, too, wears a diadem of gold which 



24 WHY WE LIVE. 

decorates her serenely peaceful brow, which is the 
reward of many a victory over temptation when 
she, alone with her good mother, walked the dark 
vales of earth until the voice of Gabriel awoke her 
from death to life, and her own dear father, in 
company with other angelic kindred, was her 
escort to this her home in heaven. 

And when the two sons of Altheous completed 
the little band, the chariot moved along. When 
near the pearly gates all the household gathered 
around with garlands of flowers, with which the 
little band, composed of father, sons and daughter, 
are to welcome and decorate a mother, now alone 
and desolate, even sick unto death, in the dark 
world of sorrow. Mara says she learned from the 
Seraph who came over with us from the great 
palace of Immanuel not long ago, that their dear 
mother, after she crossed the great Jordan, would 
receive a golden crown with many glittering gems. 

Then, with tears of joy, the little band departed, 
amid loud singing from many a happy heart. 
They sped rapidly along the golden pavements 
and soon they were by the river shore. Mara this 
time formed a beautiful bark after her own ideas 
of beauty, when they set out to cross the river. 
At last when they stepped upon the shores of the 
trackless void, their bark resolved itself back to 



WHY WE LIVE. 25 

the elements from whence it was formed, and now 
they sped their flight towards the world's con- 
flicting regions. Though dark and cheerless was 
the void itself, it was a joyful pilgrimage, because 
of the continual passing of legions and bands of 
angels with music, and the joyous melody of 
happy hearts over the redeemed, as they were be- 
ing escorted towards their eternal rest. 

It was at the hour of solitary midnight when 
they found themselves standing by the bedside of 
that dear, sick, suffering body. It was her whom 
they loved to call " mother," and ; with strains of 
music, they sang many of those heart-appealing 
songs which are sung only by the angelic hosts of 
heaven. For a few moments at a time she seemed 
to hear the beautiful strains of melody, as it filled 
the chamber of her sufferings, and more than once 
Mara unveiled herself to that dear guardian of her 
once helpless infancy, when she would exclaim : 

"Hark ! Oh, how sweet ! It is heavenly music 
that I hear ! I behold an angel ; it is my Mary !" 

And these exclamations fell with a comforting 
assurance upon the listening ears of the sad rela- 
tives and friends of this devoted woman, who so 
patiently watched the fast failing form of her 
whom they would fain hold still longer, that they 
might show once more how dearly they loved her. 



26 WHY WE LIVE. 

Altheous and his two sons were now visiting the 
afflicted in the region around the old familiar 
haunts of their mundane home, who being tempted 
and tried beyond the seeming powers of endur- 
ance, were fast gliding towards the shoals of des- 
pair ; but these angelic guardians, by the faithful 
promptings of love, whispered in the still, secret 
chambers of their inmost souls the accents of en- 
couragement and crowned them with the unseen 
garlands from their own distant home in Paradise. 

It was drawing near the hour when they should 
hear the music of the minstrels of the approach- 
ing hosts of Gabriel, therefore the three returned 
where lay the suffering form of the once wife and 
mother, whom they hoped soon to receive as one 
redeemed from all the storms of mutability. Now, 
as they leaned over the bedside of that dying 
mother, they heard with tears of joy the seraphic 
strains of melody, which was but the forerunner 
of the presence of the Archangel and the hosts 
around him. Soon the glory of his presence filled 
the room ; a smile of joy passed over the face of 
the suffering one as she saw, even with her mortal 
vision, the angels around her. With happy ac- 
cents she exclaimed : 

" O, how beautiful ! It is heavenly ! I now see 
things unutterable !" 



WHY WE LIVE. 27 

Then with beating hearts of joy that husband, 
those sons and the living daughter, standing 
among the seraphs of heaven, watched the bend- 
ing form of Gabriel wrapped in the mystic cloud 
around him, as he called aloud : 

" Daughter, arise ! Angels, receive the new-born 
babe!" 

The struggling soul was now a new-born child 
of heaven, a companion linked in the closest af- 
finity to that husband and his children around 
him ; that same silver cord of pure love binds 
them here where there is no marriage ; where there 
is no sex to disturb the harmony of its joyous ex- 
pression. 

The little band, being decked with the garlands 
of flowers they brought, took their flight towards 
the land of the redeemed. 

Now the happy wife and mother, being clothed 
with a pure white robe, was to be called by a new 
name ; she was henceforth to be called Gabrela, 
because the Archangel who redeemed her had 
marked it upon her forehead, which in due time 
would be replaced by a beautiful diadem which 
would be the emblem of her rank and power 
while still her name would be the same. 

When they had left far behind them the shad- 
ows of the world below, with the usual melody of 



28 WHY WE LIVE. 

a joyous band which bears away heavenward a 
beloved one redeemed from earth, they were 
startled, though not with fear, at the distant roll- 
ing clouds of blackness, as the lightning flashed 
and the thunders made the region quake around 
them. Its course, though at first towards them, 
was now for the dark regions of Erebus. 

Upward and outward for many hours Gabrela, 
with her beloved husband and children about her 
as escorting angels, sped their flight through the 
dim light of that dark region ; and as they passed 
and re-passed the hosts of seraphic beings in their 
aerial courses, they still, with a sense of some- 
thing awfully sublime, beheld it on its course. 
Gabrela, not knowing the mysteries around her, 
was fearful. 

"Fear not, dear mother, in these clouds thou 
wilt see Immanuel's love," said Mara, as she 
gathered more closely her mantle about her. ' ' Be- 
fore we reach the fragrant breezes from the shores 
of Paradise we will cross its path, then thou shalt 
behold what many angels in heaven have failed 
yet to see." 

Thus having quieted her fears, Gabrela' s coun- 
tenance shone again with its wonted joy as on- 
ward they sped their way towards the land of 
rest. Now again they saw those clouds ; as they 



WHY WE LIVE. 29 

drew near, the density thereof grew less, so that 
they now could see thousands and tens of thous- 
ands of lost spirits crossing their path, and in their 
midst were Archangels and Seraphs of heaven, 
also Cherubim from along the shores of Jordan, 
from beautiful mansions not made with hands, but 
by the power of the gift of Immanuel. To Gabrela 
it was a motely concourse ; the mingling of the 
angels of heaven and the spirits of Erebus was not 
yet for her to understand. 

Then, according to the promise of Mara, the 
dark cloud passed by them, and Altheous, being 
of the higher order of the redeemed, saw the sig- 
nificance of that flying concourse and informed 
them that soon after their arrival home there 
would be an extraordinary display of the divine 
mercy of ImmanueL 

Again Altheus stands, with a joyful heart, with 
one more of his little family among the redeemed. 
With uplifted hands he forms a pearly bark from 
the shells of the watery depth, Now again he 
turns his bark across the dividing waters of 
Jordan. 



CHAPTER II. 

Eusebius Beholds New Wonders.— The Airarchs, or Child Angels.— He 
Visits the Gallery of Angelic Art.— The Airarch Alva Gives Him the 
History of the Statue of His Mortal Body.— Gabrela is Welcomed to 
Paradise— The Field of Eden.— The River of Bliss.— The Holy Temple 
of the Palace of Immanuel.— Pisgah.— The Redemption of the Dwellers 
of Hadea by Immanuel.— The Reunion of Alva and His Father and the 
Welcome of Alvero to the Home of Altheous. 

After Altheous and his little band of kindred 
souls had left behind them the fading views of 
their eternal home on their mission of duty and 
love, and as I was now left alone to observe the 
beauties and mysteries of the glories about me, I 
was greatly startled by the joyful sight which ap- 
peared before me ; the seraphic forms of many 
children, representing all the stages of childhood 
and infancy, many of whom I recognized as among 
the kindred of Altheous, and who gathered those 
bright garlands for the decoration of her whom 
they would receive as one redeemed from the 
vicissitudes of the world. 

I longed to hold communion with such lovely 
little beings. Now in the admiration of their 
symmetrical forms, I wondered concerning their 
mortal existence, for I could see so plainly the 
marks of innocence upon their childlike brows, 

30 



WHY WE LIVE. 31 

which compared so well with their innocence in 
mortality, and for which reason they stand first 
in the heart of Immanuel. While thus musing, I 
lifted up my eyes to behold them no more, save 
as a cloud fast receding from my sight. 

Being apparently alone, I now sought the gal- 
lery of angelic art, the works of gifted angel s, who 
often left as mementoes the works of the willing 
power of their minds ; which, by the way, varied 
greatly, not only in the measure of will power, 
but also in the variety of gifts. While passing 
the open archway, composed of massive emerald 
rock, to gain the entrance therein, and as I placed 
my hand upon one of the golden ornaments there- 
of, I felt the soft pressure of little hands upon 
mine, and behold it was one of those child angels, 
the sweet tones of whose voice came to be my 
chief delight. 

I soon learned of him many things concerning 
the mysteries around me, and that he, as well as 
the countless numbers filling their allotted places 
in every home of heaven, were angels of the order 
of Airarchs. They possessed the rare gifts of sight 
and ot aerial flight, but failed in the possession of 
much creative power ; hence, they are appointed 
to glorify the households of their kindred. 

Immanuel delights to manifest to them His en- 



32 WHY WE LIVE. 

during love. Archangels and Seraphs rejoice to 
meet them in their flight, whether it be among the 
beatitudes of Paradise or in the dark wastes of 
Erebus, on their way to the lonely prison house 
of Hadea, the habitation of lost spirits ; whither 
and unto whom they go with unveiled forms to 
woo them with glad tidings of redeeming love. 

The Airarch still sought my hand until I stood 
before the life-sized portrait of an august being 
robed in a mantle of pure white, in whose right 
hand was a sceptre twined with branches of olive 
and myrtle. 

"Here," said the Airarch child, "is the willed 
picture of the divine Immanuel, drawn by the will 
of an angelic artist." 

Said I, "is there no price among the angels for 
the many works they do ?" 

" For the works of the angels there is no price. 
We are all, as brothers and sisters, doing one for 
another. Immanuel has endowed some with gifts 
which others have not ; some with one, and others 
with two or more ; whether it be to will into life 
the fruits and flowers around us, or form the man- 
tles that robed the redeemed of Paradise, or to 
call into existance the mansions of the blest and 
the adornments around them." 

As my little Airarch friend was now admiring 



WHY WE LIVE, 33 

the statue of a beautiful little boy, and, while 
tears of joyous satisfaction trickled from his 
moistened eyes : 

"Here," said he, "is the statue of my once 
mortal body when I was left alone in the hands of 
strangers and forsaken by my father, with no 
mother's care, until the Archangel Gabriel lifted 
up his voice in my sickness and called my soul 
away to join Mara and the Airarch escort about 
her, who were the faithful guardians of my lonely 
childhood, even unto sickness and death, and this 
statue is the work of Mara. 

u As an Airarch of Paradise I have watched the 
wayward footsteps of a father, but failed to turn 
him back to goodness ; but ere long he sickened 
and died, and as there is no angel appointed to 
receive the soul of one who quenches the light and 
defies the eternal and unchangeable laws of his 
God, his soul stepped forth into the darkness 
alone and wandered up through the cheerless void 
of Erebus, until the twilight of Hadea shone dimly 
around his path. Here was a world much like 
the one he had left behind. The inhabitants 
thereof are sometimes called demons, because of 
the fierce necessities of the body. There is a 
struggle for life becausa of the same necessities, 
which being more acute than those of earth, the 

3 



34 WHY WE LIVE. 

fiery darts of passion drive them almost mad 
without the power of self-destruction. 

kt All things in the creation of Hadea are more 
mutable than things earthly. No children breathe 
the cheerless air of Hadea, and the name of kin- 
dred is unknown, though mortal passions rankle in 
the flesh. Beasts of the wilderness and of the field, 
fishes of the great deep and of the rivers of the 
land, and the fowls of the air, with the reptiles 
and insects of the smaller creation are there for 
the comfort as well as the perplexity of the lost 
spirits of Hadea. 

" Streams of beauty and of occasional bliss, like 
the transient joys of earth, often times make light 
the burdens of the sad souls of Hadea, who have 
yielded to the gentle wooings of the Airarchs of 
heaven, whose child-like ways and simple plead- 
ings win back at last nearly all those sin-worn 
souls to fight and conquer the badness of i-ieir 
natures. 

"lam among the innumerable Airarchs who 
leave their homes in Paradise to whisper in ac- 
cents of love the glad tidings of an eternal home 
in heaven, whe^e rest and peace shall be the por- 
tion of the good forever. And, as a guardian 
angel, I ever stood by the footsteps of my father, 
and so long as he breathed the air of mortality I 



WHY WE LIVE. 35 

strove to lead Mm from his sinful ways, even until 
I saw the dark canopy of death overshadow his 
life, and his soul pass away into the darkness 
around him, and, with helpless hands, I watched 
him from afar until, with the instinct of every soul 
that is lost, he wandered upward and away from 
his mortal life, and when I saw him enter the dim 
light of Hadea and the dark necessities of life 
wrap themselves about him as the coil of a ser- 
pent, I turned away as it were on the wings of 
love and sped with swiftest flight for my home in 
heaven, where in due time I found myself with the 
household of the now absent Altheous. Though 
sad were the tidings I brought, yet there was more 
joy than sorrow, for now, as an angel of Paradise, 
I could stand before him unveiled and then he 
would know me as his child. 

" Therefore there was for me a joyous work to 
do. There were Airarchs who dwelt upon the 
plains of Beulah, and who were once daughters left 
alone as I was, without a father or mother in the 
world, but now are angels in heaven. Now they 
were as guardian angels and messengers of glad 
tidings to the souls of kindred in Hadea, so we all 
with one accord and joyful hearts went forth to- 
gether as a little band to cross again the trackless 
void and entered at last Hadea' s cheerless climate. 



36 WHY WE LIVE. 

Here our little band dissolved and each child 
went out on his appointed mission, revealing 
themselves only unto those to whom they were 
sent. Now, with the vision of an Airarch of Para- 
dise, I saw upon the waves of a great sea ships 
from every clime of Hadea ; also cities and towns 
along the coasts where were centered the conflicts 
of life and the busy tramp of restless souls. 

" It was here in one of these great cities of 
Hadea where, with throbbing heart of joy, I be- 
held my own dear father toiling at his vocation. 
Presently I stood before him and laid my hand 
on his, and then, as I unveiled myself to his sight 
and smoothed back his faded locks, he fell back 
unconscious from his work. When he recovered 
himself, he reached forth his trembling hand and 
drew me closely to himself, saying, with a vacant 
air, 

" 'Where am I?' 

"Tiien rousing hunself he seemed eager to hear 
my story. Then I told him that I was an Airarch 
and my home was far away in Paradise, ard also, 
as a guardian angel, I watched over his wayward 
footsteps until his soul was called into outer dark- 
ness, and then how with helpless hands I watched 
him from afar, and as Immanuel continues as ever . 
to send forth lhe Alrarchs of heaven that each 



WHY WE LIVE. 37 

poor soul of Hadea might have some bright ray to 
guide him in his darkened journey, Immanuel al- 
lowed me the joy of coming unto him with mes- 
sages of His redeeming love. I said to him : 

'"Therefore let not thyself be cast down, my 
dear father, but turn away from the temptations 
that surround thee ; for though thou art among 
the lost, there is still held out for thee a beautiful 
home in Paradise, where thou shalt have rest and 
peace forever, and where thou shalt yet gather thy 
once happy wife and little child around thee, and 
where the redeemed of heaven will be thy com- 
panions in bliss. When thou wast on earth there 
was no unveiled messenger from heaven to tell 
thee of the world on high. But of priests and 
prophets there were many, and as their knowl- 
edge of Immanuel and His kingdom was thought 
by many to have originated in the fancies of the 
imagination of men, their teachings weighed but 
little in the scale of thy resolutions. But now thy 
loving child, even thine own Alva, is here with a 
message from Immanuel, thy Redeemer, who still 
loves thee with an everlasting love, and who, 
when thou hast bowed thine own will to His lov- 
ing requirements and thus become His obedient 
child, will send forth His Seraphs and angels from 
about His throne in heaven to gather thee, with 



38 WHY WE LIVE. 

many thousands, whom thou wilt meet in the 
clouds of the air.' 

" And as it was not lawful for the Airarchs of 
Immanuel to linger long at one time about the souls 
they have come to minister unto, either on earth 
or in Hadea, I bade the tried soul of my dear 
father an affectionate adieu and then returned to 
my own bright home in Paradise. 

"Through the many years which have since 
passed away I continued to visit him, and the 
years must by this time seem long to his lonely, 
waiting soul ere his deliverance comes. But it is 
near at hand, when shall be heard the chiming of 
all the bells of Paradise, both large and small, 
even upon the chariots and upon the waving 
branches of the trees. For upon that day, when 
I shall behold my father among the redeemed of 
Paradise, we shall see thousands and tens of 
thousands of redeemed souls from Hadea. And, 
as an Airarch of heaven, I see Seraphs, Arch- 
angels and angels of Paradise preparing for rhe 
great ingathering of lost spirits, soon to be among 
the redeemed of Paradise forever." 

As the time was drawing near for the return of 
Atheous and his happy family, with the long- 
waited-for wife and mother, and as the Airarchs 
were now preparing fresh garlands of flowers for 



WHY WE LIVE. 39 

the occasion, my little friends left me to join the 
number. They adorned with brilliant festoons of 
fragrant flowers the gateway and the fountains, 
and also the statue of the mortal body of the 
beloved G-abrela, which, they placed under a glit- 
tering canopy, the pillars of which were of jasper 
and ruby. 

Now this beautiful canopy was formed by the 
gifted Ilena, the sister of Gabrela, who having had 
a conscience void of offense when Gabriel received 
her soul from Earth, Immanuel was pleased to 
deck her with a jeweled crown of pure gold, and 
also with many gifts of power. 

The little Airarchs, having with busy hands and 
joyous hearts all things ready, now formed into a 
little band ; each one bearing in his right hand 
some instrument of sweet music, when they all 
departed veiled in a cloud from our sight. Ilena 
had also departed with her own chariot, by the 
way of the golden pavements of the city. 

Now with the remaining household of Altheous 
I strolled away amidst the fruitful trees of the 
place ; then again among the seemingly endless 
varieties of the brilliant Flora, many of which 
Altheous, or perhaps some of his gifted friends, 
when they formed them into shape, may have 
copied from some which Immanuel had created for 



40 WHY WE LIVE. 

the Earth, to cheer the path of the pilgrim there ; 
for there were many brilliant flowers which were 
the same as adorned the home of my earthly 
childhood. 

Our attention was now turned toward the pearly 
gates and the high-road of the city, for now we 
beheld a company of Airarch children almost 
sweeping the pavements, as they swiftly sped 
along before the decorated chariot of Ilena. With 
one more joyous shout, and with the concluding 
melody of sweet music and song, they turned in 
through the pearly gates, and now stood still 
before the shining canopy, which Ilena formed in 
honor of her beloved sister. Then Allheous, 
Gabrela, and Mara, with her two brothers, alighted 
from the chariot with the fairy-like steps of angels. 
Then, with a realizing sense of these heavenly 
scenes around her, Gabrela was led by the hands 
of little children to a seat prepared for her at the 
side of the statue of her earthly body, where she 
found Ilena waiting to receive her beneath the 
beautifal canopy. 

"Here," said Ilena, with extended hands to 
welcome her, "is a memorial of welcome to thee, 
which I formed of the jasper and the rubies of 
Salem, and adorned it with emeralds and pure 
gold. Thou seest that the children of thy house- 



WHY WE LIVE. 41 

hold have made it radiant with a profusion of 
flowers, in anticipation of thy coming." 

As the voices of the' children were heard again, 
Ilena and her sister now started to join them, 
where they found Altheous, with his two sons, 
who were called Orvian and Gracena, and his 
daughter Mara, gathering ripe fruits from the 
yielding boughs above them ; for now they were 
going to have the beloved Gabrela for the first 
time to partake with them of the ripe fruits of 
Paradise. 

But hark! Faintly they hear the chiming of 
innumerable bells, and with each fresh zephyr the 
air resounds with louder notes, and there is no 
bell in Paradise whose silver tongue beats not in 
homage to the divine Immanuel, the Redeemer of 
Earth and Hadea. Now we heard the sound of 
the great trumpets of the Archangels, proceeding 
from around His holy throne. Then we beheld 
Seraphs innumerable in the mystic clouds about 
them, as they passed over us, calling together the 
kindred of the lost unto the great hour of re- 
demption. 

Now there was a joyous commotion in all the 
regions of Paradise, while legions of Airarchs, 
with the returning Seraphs and Cherubim from 
along the shores of Jordan, filled the air above us 



42 WHY WE LIVE. 

on their way to the place of redemption. The 
golden pavements of the high-roads were thronged 
with the glittering chariots of the blest, who with 
joyous hearts were going to meet their long-lost 
kindred, who shall now be redeemed from Hadea. 

Before I proceed farther I must speak of the 
glories of the fields of Eden, where the angels ol 
Heaven are wont to assemble to behold the 
radiance and the glory of Immanuel, and to look 
upon the transcendently benign beauty of His 
countenance, hallowed by the unconsciousness of 
infinite power, which can be realized only by the 
angels in Heaven, and reveals to the beholding 
angel the sublime fact that he is in the presence of 
Immanuel, the Redeemer of the Earth and Hadea. 
And hither they go to rejoice in the same eternal 
summer, amid the greater brightness of the ever- 
blooming fiowers, the varieties and coloring thereof 
excelling the already glorious beauty of the gar- 
dens of the angels of Paradise, before even the 
latter of which the vision of mortal eyes would 
grow dim. 

And then there were the groves, whose perpetual 
verdure was seen to crown the hills from afar, 
through which I saw the crystal waters of the 
beautiful river of Bliss, which coursed its way 
through hills and valleys and wound itself away 



WHY WE LIVE. 43 

through defiles of massive rocks of emerald and 
palisades of ruby, and whose shores shine bright 
as the rainbow, with pebbles of pearl, and the 
waters thereof are as pure as crystal. 

And here it is the delight of Immanuel to see 
the little child Airarchs ever before His face, or 
roaming among the fields of Eden, or at their 
pleasure bathing in the crystal waters thereof. 
Now overlooking the perennial delights of the 
fields of Eden is the Holy Temple, or palace of 
Immanuel, the material of which is of sapphires, 
rubies and emeralds, while the foundation thereof 
is of jasper ; the floors of the inner courts and the 
roof of the great dome are made of pure gold, 
above and round about the dome floats the mystic 
cloud of the divine Immanuel, which as a halo of 
glory never fades away. 

It is only on occasions of extraordinary exhibi- 
tions of Divine mercy and love that an angel can 
behold the glory of Immanuel' s throne and the 
inner courts of His most Holy Temple, save the 
Archangels, Seraphs, Cherubim and Airarchs of 
Paradise, with certain angels, who do always 
behold His face. The Archangels and Seraphs, 
not having been mortal, but being the children of 
Jehovah, created into immediate life by the infinite 
power of His will, dwell in the fields of Eden and 



44 WHY WE LIVE. 

the palace of Immanuel, and do many of the 
mighty works of the Redeemer and revel in the 
brightness of His glory. 

Now across the river of Jordan is a lofty hill, 
called Pisgah, whose declining slopes dip gently 
into the waters below; from its summit the ob- 
server can behold many of the beanties of Para- 
dise. It was here where I beheld a vast assemblage 
of beings, thousands and tens of thousands, mov- 
ing to and fro upon the hillsides, from the summit 
to the waters' edge, seeming, as it were, waiting 
for some great event. 

When I saw Archangels, and Seraphs, and an 
occasional Cherub flying between the palace of 
Immanuel and the assembled hosts on the slopes 
of Pisgah, I remembered the cloud which crossed 
the path of Altheous and his little band. And 
these were the lost spirits, who were wrapped in 
its sable folds, and who have been here for some 
time waiting for the great triumph of the Redeem- 
er's love. 

In the meantime the fields of Eden were thronged 
with the assembled hosts, who were kindred of 
of the vast legion now waiting upon the opposite 
shore. Airarchs of Heaven were seen on all the 
heights of Eden, waiting also for the eventful 
moment when they should participate in the great 



WHY WE LIVE. 45 

event, until the final meeting of all the kindred of 
the two opposite hosts. 

Now there was heard a clear subdued voice, 
from regions above us, saying : 

"Be still! Be still!" 

Then there was the vivid flashing of lightning, 
amid dark and changing clouds above us, with 
peals of quaking thunder, the great sublimity 
of which made the vast concourse on Pisgah to 
tremble with fear. Then, in the awful stillness of 
that solemn waiting which followed, the expectant 
hosts on either side of the Jordan turned their 
eyes toward the palace of Immanuel. But, 
astonished, they turned their gaze heavenward and 
beheld Immanuel, with many of the Archangels 
and Seraphs of Heaven, with an innumerable 
legion of Airarchs, all wrapped in the changing 
folds of the mystic clouds above them. 

And as I beheld Immanuel there upon a pure 
white throne, I saw Him wave the scepter of His 
power over the waters of Jordan. At this moment 
the floods thereof rolled back in mighty torrents, 
until there was a dry passage-way through the sea 
of waters. And as Immanuel descended from the 
throne of His glory, to stand upon the shore of the 
fields of Eden, there came from the clouds above 



46 WHY WE LIVE. 

the solemn and soul-inspiring melody of these 
words : 

" All tail to the hour 

When the waiting souls on Pisgah's heights 

Shall pass the watery floods ! 

All hail to the breathless moment near, 

When each sad soul from Hadea's clime 

Shall press the sands where his Redeemer stands 

And feel the pressure of His hand ! " 

In the meantime the Cherubim descended among 
the lost souls on Pisgah, and having marshaled 
the hosts thereof, they were now passing with them 
through the divided waters of Jordan. 

And as I saw each lost soul approach the place 
where stood the Holy Kedeemer, the latter, in the 
accents of that love which only is divine, said to 
the trembling soul before Him : 

"O, thou who hast had thy conscience washed 
clean in rivers of affliction, enter into the joys of 
Paradise, to be thine forever." 

And with the wave of His right hand the poor, 
trembling soul before Him was instantly changed, 
and upon his forehead was temporarily written 
his new name, and, clothed in a white robe, he 
became one of the redeemed of Paradise. As 
each redeemed soul now became an angel of 
Heaven, the Airarchs were continually employed 
in escorting them to their kindred, in waiting 



WHY WE LIVE. 47 

among the fields of Eden, who, after the usually 
long and affectionate welcome, with the usual 
profusion of fragrant flowers and the continual 
vibrations of heavenly music, immediately de- 
parted in their waiting chariots, which with willing 
speed flew rapidly over the smooth highways for 
their peaceful homes, always meeting on the way 
many kindred and friends to welcome the newly- 
redeemed of Paradise. 

By this time I saw the translation of the last 
soul from Hadea and his final entrance into peace 
and rest forever, and then, in a moment, in the 
twinkling of an eye, I saw Immanuel and the hosts 
about Him no more. 

Now all was hushed in stillness, save the melody 
of song and of music, which would occasionally 
be wafted on the breezes from some sylvan retreat 
among the shades of Eden, or the final roar of the 
waters of Jordan, as they rushed back in fury to 
their natural bed. 

Now, among the last ones of the redeemed I saw 
the father of Alva, the little Airarch. It was the 
final meeting of a father and his little child ; the 
little one who, having been forsaken by a father, 
afterwards, as a guardian angel from Heaven, 
followed that father through all the vicissitudes 
and temptations of Earth, even unto Hadea, 



48 WHY WE LIVE. 

whither his lost soul had wandered. Now at last 
I beheld him among the redeemed, and he, who 
is now called Alvero, is with his own little Alva. 
The two now stepped with happy hearts into the 
beautiful chariot of Ilena, which she, with the 
loving kindness of her heart, had brought for their 
use. Then, after the sisterly salutations of wel- 
come from Ilena, the three turned toward the home 
of Altheous. 

It was a privilege I enjoyed to see with what 
child-like joy our little Alva pointed out to his 
father the many passing objects of interest, as they 
sped along the golden highway, whether it was 
some sylvan grove, with groups of happy angels 
resting in their shade, or the history of some 
ancient mansion and the occupants thereof. 
Alvero, whose happiness now seemed bordering 
on the ecstatic, leaned forward upon his hands and 
exclaimed : 

"How is it that I, who have been the most un- 
worthy, even a lost soul in Hadea, have now been 
made a companion of the blest?" 

I saw at this moment the glitter of shining 
wheels, and then I discovered the chariot of 
Altheous ; and as it neared the searching view of 
Ilena and Alva, they saw a number of the family 
of Altheous seated therein, among whom were 



WHY WE LIVE. 49 

two of the three Airarch daughters from the plains 
of Beulah, who had accompanied Alva at one time 
to Hadea and at other times to Earth, to perform 
the offices of guardian angels over a number of 
their kindred, who were at that time passing 
through severe affliction, being tempted and tried 
on every side. From the approaching party there 
was a joyous welcome to the newly-redeemed one 
among them. 

Being now near home, the two parties soon 
turned into the pearly gates of Altheous' and 
Gabrela's home, which was to be the home of 
Alvero for the present. They had been home but 
a short time when, to the surprise of Alvero, the 
children had gathered ripe fruits from the bending 
boughs above them, and must now have him, ac- 
companied by the household, attend the feast, 
and as Alva, with the children about him, led 
along the happy father, they strewed his path 
with fragrant flowers. This was the first fruit 
from the trees of Paradise he had tasted, and he 
wondered at the resolvement of the refuse thereof 
as they were cast upon the lawn at their feet. 
Then Ilena, who was always pleased with the 
opportunity of enlightening the newly-redeemed 
with whom she met, said : 

' 'There is nothing in Heaven that is unclean, 

4 



W WHY WE LIVE. 

for Immanuel has provided that all things becom- 
ing useless to the angels shall not decay or annoy, 
but shall disappear to be seen no more." 

It now being the time when Ilena should return 
to her own home, her sister Gabrela resolved to 
foe her companion thither, and there to wait until 
the ordinations of Immanuel. And having bade 
adieu to those remaining, and being seated in the 
ever-ready chariot, passed out of the gates of 
pearl towards Beulah, and soon they were lost 
from the view of those of the household of Althe- 
ous who were least in the kingdom of Heaven, as 
their vision was easily obscured by intermediate 
^objects. 



CHAPTER III. 

The Re-united Family.— The History of Paul, Paulina and their Child.— 
Gabriel Calls the Soul of Paulina from Earth and Gives Her the 
Name of Eola.— She is Conducted by Angelic Friends to Heaven and is 
Instructed in Heavenly Wisdom.— Alvero and Eola Re-united and 
Ordained as Angels by Immanuel.— Eola Created a Mansion and 
Embellished it with Statuary for Her Family.— The Cascades of 
Delphia.— Message of Vemecis to Gabrela. 

Now I saw in my dream that which seemed long 
years ago. Paul, a young man of brilliant parts, 
just making his entrance upon the stage of man- 
hood to take his part in the busy scenes of the 
world. Being in a high social position, baptised 
and educated according to the strict orthodox 
faith, it seemed not strange to find him soon after 
an accepted suitor for the hand of Paulina, the 
good and amiable daughter of a respectable 
family, and she, being of the same faith, the 
nuptials were celebrated in the house of Gfod, ded- 
icated to His worship. 

With the blessing of parents and relatives, they 
now, as it were, set out together upon the voyage 
of life. They lived happily together for a time. 
But, alas ! their joy was of short duration, for 
soon after their little child had attained the 
age of two years, the fascinations of pleasure 

51 



52 WHY WE LIVE. 

drew, with imperceptible swiftness, the now un- 
steady feet of Paul down into the hidden vortex 
of sin. Heart-rending were the entreaties of that 
faithful wife for the once loving husband' s return 
to the paths of virtue and peace. But it was of 
no avail ; his companions in revelry were now 
dearer to him than wife or child. Therefore it was 
thought best for the abused wife to return to her 
parents. But Paul refused consent, and still 
would not refrain ; therefore she sorrowfully re- 
turned to the home of her youth with their baby- 
boy, while Paul, resolved on a wild career, rushed 
blindly on. With a freak of mad jealousy he stole 
their little boy from the now disconsolate mother, 
and gave him away to some strange woman, who 
knew not a mother's love. 

Through the vista of the past I see the little one, 
neglected and abused, upon a loathsome couch, 
around which only can be seen the carelessness 
of unloving hands. But upon the other side of 
the veil the angels of Heaven were gathering 
around the little bed, to take the infant soul. 
And that little face, bearing the marks of so much 
suffering, lights up with a happy smile, to be only 
the next moment a lifeless casket, to remain with 
those who were unworthy of its priceless jewel. 
But that little one is now an angel in Heaven, one 



WHY WE LIVE. 53 

of the child Airarchs of Paradise, and his name 
is Alva, of whom I have told you much. 

During the remaining years of Paul's wayward 
life, he was oftentimes arrested in his evil course 
by the uninvited suggestions which would steal a 
place among the many thoughts which rushed 
upon his imagination, when in the wakeful 
quietude of the night. It was then his little for- 
saken child often leaned over his wakeful form, 
and with suggestions of love and mercy, and the 
beauties of a holy life, strove with a faithful love 
to woo him back to virtue and happiness. But 
alas ! for poor Paul. Sickness overtook him and 
he died, and in the Potter's-field they laid him 
away. Thus but a few short years from the day 
of those happy nuptials he sank into the dust of 
the Earth, a pauper, while his soul stepped forth 
into outer darkness. 

In the meantime the almost disconsolate Paulina 
remained beneath the roof of loving parents, and 
not knowing that Paul was now lying beneath the 
clods of the Earth, she oftentimes would renew 
the search for him, in the hope that his own mis- 
ery had wrought a change in his mind, and thereby 
would lead him to relent somewhat for her sake 
and for the restoration of their long-lost child. 
But all was in vain ; and as each succeeding year 



54 WHY WE LIVE. 

had found a place among the scenes of the past, a 
more hopeful state of mind settled down upon 
her existence, as the silver linings of a dissolving 
cloud. 

She more than ever was most happy in works 
of philanthropy, or when soothing the anguish of 
the wounded feelings of those about her. Many 
were the temptations that beset her pathway, yet 
with the crowning hope of her life before her, 
which was to meet her little one in Heaven, she 
was always conqueror. Often in the deep medita- 
tions of silence, or when her weary nature found 
its needed rest upon the pillow of her lonely 
couch, she would say she knew her little boy was 
near, and even heard the familiar accents of his 
voice. 

Though these were comforting assurances, which 
beamed continually across her path, there 
was still an undercurrent of sadness, which stole 
into the secret recesses of her heart when she 
thought of that short period of wedded happiness 
and the eternal doom of her beloved husband, 
who, for aught she knew, was beyond the reach 
of prayer. 

But then what could she do but to strive con- 
tinually to say from her heart, "Thy will, O, 
Lord, not mine, be done ! " 



WHY WE LIVE. 55 

Thus the years rolled on. until the silver locks 
now draped her aged brow. Her life well spent 
and a conscience void of offense would have been 
a fountain of pure joy to her soul, had she not 
truly believed in the eternal punishment of the 
ungodly. 

"Oh," said she, "if I could but once see my 
little boy in Heaven I would then go down into 
the vale of darkness with my dear husband, to 
dwell with him forever ; for there would be no joy 
for me in Paradise if I knew there was no time, 
even in the distant future, when his punishment 
would cease, or when he could share with me my 

joy." 

Now, after a long life of faithful servitude in 
the cause of humanity, this truly good woman 
yielded up the energies of her life, under the 
never-failing demands of old age, and, surrounded 
by faithful friends, who often gathered near to 
breathe in the pure spirit of her lofty sentiments, 
she leaned back with the appearance of ex- 
haustion. But it proved to be the last spark of a 
dying ember, and the dear friends around her had 
now only the empty casket of the precious jewel 
to comfort them, which they laid away with 
tender care beneath the waving branches of her 
favorite willow. 



56 WHY WE LIVE. 

Now during the closing scenes, as related above, 
of the life of this most excellent woman, a coun- 
terpart thereto was taking place behind the dark 
veil of death and in the realms of the redeemed. 
For there was the sound of another trumpet-call, 
which touched the ears of Alvero and his child, 
when the little Airarch, Alva, set out with Althe- 
ous, Mara and Ilena to watch over the fast-fading 
life of his lonely mother. Alvero and also 
Gabrela would have joined the little band, had it 
been lawful for an angel not ordained to go over 
into the region of Erebus. 

It was not a long while before the little company 
were at the river' s strand, and in a pretty bark of 
Ilena' s formation they soon arrived on the shores 
of Erebus, from whence they took their flight for 
the regions of the Earth. On their way thither 
Alva, who, being an Airarch, descried the moun- 
tains and valleys of Hadea and the busy multi- 
tudes therein, and he related to his companions 
the many things he saw, and how, amid the great 
privations and sufferings there, he could see many 
who had become purified in the fiery ordeal of 
continual sorrows, patiently living on until the 
fulfillment of the appointed time when they should 
hear the Archangels of Heaven calling them away 
to peace and rest. And as the little band passed 



WHY WE LIVE. 57 

on and on through the trackless path before them 
they communed together concerning the wisdom 
of Immanuel and the beautiful rewards for the 
pure in heart. 

As it is not lawful for man to possess much of 
the wisdom or knowledge of the angels, I can 
quote but little of their heavenly communings. 
But Altheous said to those around him that it was 
necessary for all the creations of Immanuel to first 
suffer before they became purified, as gold, when 
found impure, must be again passed through the 
fire, so that which stands nearest His heart must 
from necessity suffer the most And as man is 
nearest to the heart of Immanuel, and intended 
ultimately to be His child in Heaven, it is neces- 
sary that he should suffer, and if not sufficiently 
purified on Earth, he must again pass through the 
fire, until he shall be fit for the kingdom of his 
Redeemer. 

Now they sang praises to Immanuel for the wis- 
dom of His works and the might of His power. 
Their conversation now being drawn to a close, 
they found themselves among the familiar scenes 
of Earth. They now entered the habitation of 
Paulina, who was surrounded by many faithful 
earthly friends, who little knew that the angels 



58 WHY WE LIVE. 

were so very near, with her own little boy waiting 
to take her away to the regions of the blest. 

But soon the Archangel Gabriel entered the 
room, with many angels around him, and while 
Paulina was still conversing, he called her soul 
away from the bondage of Earth, and gave her a 
new name, which was Eola. 

Now she clasped her long-lost child to herself, 
and Altheous, Ilena and Mara gathered around the 
new-born angel of Heaven, and the little Alva 
hung about his mother's neck as she wept for joy. 
With eagerness she inquired : 

"Is Paul among the redeemed V 9 

"Yes, mother," said Alva, "father is in Heaven, 
waiting for you, and, bound together with a new 
cord of love, you will never part again. Although 
his soul passed out from the habitations of Earth 
but a few years after the sundering of that band 
which bound you together, he has been among the 
redeemed but a few days, and therefore could not 
join our little company to bring you home. 

"Since the days of his early manhood, when 
his soul was called away into outer darkness, he 
has passed through the furnace of affliction, and 
in the region of Hadea has been his dwelling- 
place. But his afflictions have purified his soul, 
and Immanuel hath redeemed him and given him 



WHY WE LIVE. 59 

a new name and a habitation among the angels of 
Heaven." 
• Alva and his mother, having been left alone for 
a season, while the rest of the company were gone 
among the downcast and afflicted in regions near 
by, were now ready to ascend toward Paradise, 
as they saw Altheous and his companions near at 
hand. Alva having now adorned his mother with 
a most beautiful and fragrant wreath of flowers, 
gathered by the hand of her now redeemed hus- 
band in Paradise, they ascended toward the homes 
of the blest. In a few moments Eola saw the last 
receding objects on Earth fade away from view, as 
they swept along upon their path, and continually 
passed thousands of angels on various missions 
of heavenly duty. 

As the little band ascended higher and farther 
in their upward course, their conversation grew in 
interest. Eola, like many who had gone before 
her, seemed to dread the glory and splendor of 
Paradise, but being encouraged by those around 
her, she pressed forward with a joyous heart. 

Immanuel seemed to her now as one altogether 
lovely — whose love and mercy are founded upon 
infinite wisdom. Now she could understand for 
herself why the righteous on Earth sometimes 
suffer more than the ungodly, and why she her- 



60 WHY WE LIVE. 

self, when walking the Earth, had lost a loving 
husband and a precious child, and oftentimes 
endured the tortures of hunger and the wounds 
of pride ; to her all this now seemed plain. 

Now, when Altheous spoke concerning the un- 
equal division of the riches of the Earth, and how 
the wicked more often prospered that the godly, 
he said : 

"I often wondered at it, and thought at one 
time that the Creator of all things loved the wicked 
more than the righteous, or He would not show 
them such unequal favors. But the mind of an 
angel is greater in wisdom than that of man. 
Therefore I see the infinite wisdom of the Creator 
in all this, and Immanuel will in due time, through 
the teachings of His Divine Spirit, reveal unto 
the willing heart of man the poverty of riches, 
when weighed in the balance of good and evil. 
And as riches are not the source of happiness 
there, He has showered them upon the just and 
unjust alike, for His own wise purpose. It is a 
pure and unsullied conscience only that can 
stand before Immanuel as a redeemed angel of 
Paradise." 

As Altheous finished his sentence the little 
company with one accord assented thereto, and as 
they now poured forth the melody of happy 



WHY AVE LIVE. 61 

hearts in praises to Immanuel, the sweet breath 
of fragrance, wafted upon the air by some gentle 
zephyr, came as a memento from the Paradise of 
the redeemed. 

When the angels had ceased to sing, the voice of 
Alva broke the silence of the company, saying : 

"My dear mother, in a few moments thou shalt 
see the shining dome of the Palace of Immanuel ; 
then shall open upon thy vision more and more of 
the glories of Heaven." 

And while he yet spoke, they came in sight of 
the river, and but a moment longer found them- 
selves standing upon the shore of the river of 
Paradise, more often called Jordan, because of its 
figurative meaning. With uplifted hands Althe- 
ous once more formed, from the pearly shells of 
the river, a bark of wonderful beauty, and soon 
they had all embarked upon the bosom of its 
rippled waters ; and, as they glided smoothly and 
rapidly along, it called from the lips of Eola the 
expressed feelings of a redeemed soul, and she 
said: 

"All of my afflictions and my sorrows in the 
shadows of Earth have pointed with the unvary- 
ing steadiness of a compass to this beautiful river, 
over which the angels now ferry me to the 
Promised Land." 



62 WHY WE LIVE. 

Ilena now called the attention of Eola to the 
radiance of the flowery groves of the Elysian 
fields, which were jnst opening upon their vision, 
and as Eola turned her eyes toward the increasing 
beauties of the approaching shore and the innu- 
merable angels among its sylvan shades, she 
joined in the surprise of the little band around 
her at the sight of a small legion of Cherubim, 
who were on their way toward the fields of Eden. 
Said Mara, as she still gazed after the receding 
sight : 

"I believe these are the Cherubim who will ac- 
company Immanuel in his ordinations. They will 
be seen for a season among the fields of Eden and 
around the Palace of Immanuel. 

"When I was a newly redeemed soul, I won- 
dered concerning their life, as they seemed to 
dwell mostly along the shores of the river Jordan, 
so when Homillia, the beloved and gifted angel of 
Immanuel, one day came over to our peaceful 
home to enjoy the many pictures and works of 
art, representing the scenes and persons of earthly 
recollections, I received of him a more perfect 
knowledge concerning the life of the beautiful 
Cherubim. But as we are now nearing the shore, 
and Eola and her long-separated Alvero will soon 
stand together among the redeemed of Heaven, 



WHY WE LIVE. 63 

I will wait for a more convenient season, or per- 
haps you may hear the conclusion from the lips of 
Homillia himself." 

But a few moments more brought them upon 
the pebbly strand where stood Alvero, with eyes 
suffused with tears of joy, and upon whose neck 
the overjoyed Eola hung. At this moment there 
appeared about them the mystic cloud, and in the 
air above could be seen innumerable Cherubim, in 
company with the Divine Immanuel. 

Eola and Alvero, being overshadowed by the 
mystic clouds of their Redeemer, received the 
pressure of His hand, together with the Divine 
blessing, which was to endure forever. Then He 
stooped upon the ground and lifted a pearly 
pebble from the strand, and, as He breathed upon 
it, it resolved itself into a beautiful diadem. There 
were but few in Heaven that exceeded it in beauty 
and the number of its jewels. With His right 
hand He placed it upon the brow of Eola, and 
with it many were the gifts she received. 

Alvero received, with an enduring blessing, the 
same gifts which were common to all the redeemed 
of Paradise, among which were perfect content- 
ment and happiness forever. 

Now, as the Cherubim' s sweet strains of music 
and the melody of praise and thanksgiving came 



64 WHY WE LIVE. 

pleasantly upon the listening ear, Immanuel 
ascended with the clouds about Him, and so parted 
from the little group of kindred and friends. 

Recovering from the amazement of so great an 
exhibition of the Divine love of Immanuel, Eola 
and Alvero unitedly exclaimed, 

' ' What can we render unto our Redeemer for all 
the abundance of His mercies ? ' ' 

And with emotions of love and thanksgiving 
toward their Father and Redeemer, they stepped 
into the waiting chariot, where their friends were 
now seated, with Orvian, one of the sons of Althe- 
ous, who came in company with Alvero to wel- 
come the newly-redeemed, and to bring the chariot 
for the return of them all to their happy home. 
Now Orvian willed along with rapid speed the 
chariot with its angelic load. 

As they passed the many mansions; created and 
adorned according to all the varied fancies of their 
occupants, Eola was much pleased when she 
learned how the creators of these heavenly homes, 
as mementos of some earthly association, formed 
many of the objects around them after the like- 
ness of earthly things. 

As it was the request of Ilena to go by the way 
of the cascades of Delphia, formed from the crys- 
tal waters flowing from the fountains in the fields 



WHY WE LIVE. bD 

and gardens of Beulah, they passed around that 
way, and, among the many objects of interest, 
Ilena pointed out a beautiful field, the undulating 
slopes of which bowed gracefully to the water's 
running tide, which leaped out from the troubled 
foam of the cataract of Delphia. 

"Here," said Eola, as with peaceful joy she 
turned to her husband and child, "is the field 
which Immanuel hath prepared for us, to be for 
us a dwelling place forever. And here I shall 
build for us a beautiful mansion, which shall be 
pleasing to my dear husband and child." 

Then said Altheous, "As this is the field pre- 
pared for you, it would be well to form, from some 
beautiful rock, a memorial monument in memory 
of this most notable day of the existence of thyself 
and thy little family, and unto which you will 
look back from all eternity, as do the loving 
brothers, Abella and Caina, to the emerald pillar 
which Abella formed many thousand years ago, 
which now sparkles in the sunlight as bright as of 
old, and upon which Time has made no effacing 
marks." 

Now Eola, with her family and friends, alighted 
from the chariot and rambled over the flowery 
meadows of their beautiful field. Near by the 
foaming spray of the cataract Alvero found a solid 



66 WHY WE LIVE. 

rock, resembling the mother of pearl. From this 
rock Eola formed a beautiful triangular column, 
upon a base of larger size, and npon each side of 
the triangle she created the statuary figures of the 
earthly bodies of Alvero, Alva and herself. 

"Now," said Altheous, "this field is yours 
unto eternity." 

They now returned to the chariot and were soon 
wheeling along over the golden way ; now through 
the green valleys and again surmounting some ele- 
vated plain, over which were dotted the fruitful 
groves and fragrant gardens belonging to the 
redeemed. And as they passed over the road with 
n flying speed they were now nearing the con- 
spicuous gateway of the home of Altheous and 
Gabrela, over which the Airarch children hung 
festoons of fragrant flowers. As they now passed 
through the pearly gateway, the child Airarchs 
strewed the passing chariot with a profusion of 
the rarest flowers of Paradise, accompanied with 
the melody of children singing a joyful welcome 
to Eola, the newly-redeemed daughter of Para- 
dise. They alighted from the chariot, and Eola 
was shown by Alvero and Alva the many objects 
so full of historical and family interest in this 
peaceful home, and while passing beneath the 
overhanging branches of fruit trees, Eola for the 



WHY WE LIVE. 67 

first time tasted of the fruits of the trees of Para- 
dise. 

Having passed a number of days with Altheous 
and Gabrela, the happy Alvero and Eola, with 
their child and near kindred, now departed as a 
separate family, in a chariot of Eola' s own crea- 
tion, the wheels of which were of pure silver, 
while the body and the downy seats therein were 
made from materials known only in Paradise, and 
the beauty thereof was beyond the conception of 
man. 

It would have seemed strange to mortal man to 
see these good angels depart from such a hos- 
pitable entertainment without the expressions of 
many thanks for favors conferred, but this order 
of things is changed in the kingdom of Heaven, 
for all are servants one to another, wherein is the 
chief enjoyment of the angels. 

It seemed but a short distance to the cascades, 
for this time they crossed the plains of Beulah, 
which made the distance much less. On this 
delightful plain they found themselves among the 
towering trees, whose never-fading foliage and 
fragrant bloom have shed their beauty upon the 
homes around them for ages, among which was 
the home of Homillia, whither Gabrela had gone 
the day before in a small chariot with her son 



68 WHY WE LIVE. 

Orvian, who, with Homillia, were waiting to join 
Eola and her family on their way to the cascades 
of Delphia. 

As Eola s chariot was now passing a beantiful 
gateway of alabaster and a mansion among the 
foliage therein, created of the same material, they 
beheld Homillia and his happy family, with Ga- 
brela and her son in a chariot, waiting for their 
approach. As they drew near, Homillia gave one 
wave with his right hand, which admitted them 
through the gateway upon the smooth high road 
to join them. After the usual greeting they pro- 
ceeded on their way to the cascades, which were 
quite near. Soon they turned in over the field 
which now was for the habitation of Eola and her 
family forever. Having alighted from the 
chariots, they all crossed over toward the cas- 
cades to view the beautiful monument of Eola' s 
creation. Said Eola : 

"When I saw the chariot, the creation of my 
own will, and how that monument so steadily 
grew from out of the rock my dear Alvero had 
brought to my feet, and how it assumed a comely 
form under the exercise of the great will-power 
with which Immanuel clothed me, I yielded to a 
sense of fear, but a beautiful cherub passed over 
and touched me upon my forehead and said : 



WHY WE LIVE. 69 

'Fear not, for Immarmel loves thee.' Since that 
moment the power of creating is my great joy, 
because it is my duty and delight to use it in the 
service of those around me." 

Alvero and Alva, his child, had brought speci- 
mens of material, which to them seemed most 
beautiful, among which was a rock known only to 
the angels of Paradise, and from this rock Eola 
was to build them a house. After the company 
had assembled near the ground whereon Eola was 
to create for her family a house, they waited in 
silence for a season, when Immanuel revealed 
Himself unto them and said, in tones of paternal 
affection, "My children," and then disappeared 
in a cloud, leaving behind Him an inspired con- 
sciousness of being truly His beloved children. 

Then came one of those always lovely-formed 
Cherubim and remained among them for awhile, 
telling them many of the events that had come to 
pass and were about to take place, and, turning 
to Gabrela, said ; 

"Thy Heavenly Father, even the Holy Im- 
manuel, will visit thee, for He is now visiting His 
children and ordaining the newly-redeemed." 

After these truly acceptable surprises had 
passed away, Eola, with uplifted hands and the 
power of her will, commenced the creation of their 



70 WHY WE LIVE. 

mansion. At first I could see nothing but a mist, 
next an indefinite outline, then I saw the dimen- 
sions and form appear, when it continued to grow 
in perfection until, in the space of a few hours' 
time, there was a perfect house, not made with 
hands, but by the power of the gift of Immanuel. 
None but an angel of Paradise could have done 
this mighty work without being lost in bewilder- 
ment upon the dizzy heights of pride, but Eola 
was calm in the sweet composure of an angel, and 
continued her labors of creation, until they were 
completed. 

Now I saw the hillside, which but a few days 
before was only a pleasant field, adorned with a 
furnished mansion formed of the materials of Par- 
adise, surrounded by beautiful groves of fruitful 
trees and gardens of flowers perfuming the air, 
and many a statue of some earthly recollection. 

Eola, after having finished her labors, exclaimed, 
" We have seen the consummation of the love of 
Immanuel, our Redeemer, and the ultimate end 
and purpose for which we were sent forth into the 
Earth, helpless and into the midst of evil." 

Altheous, Gabrela and their son, Orvian, were 
invited by Eola and family to partake of the ripe 
fruits of their heavenly home, therefore they re- 
mained until the evening sun, and for the first 



WHY WE LIVE. 71 

time Eola, her family and friends partook of the 
ripe fruits of this newly-made home. 

The friends of the family, having passed with 
them a number of very happy days, now joined 
in a most beautiful hymn of praise to the Holy 
Redeemer of the souls of men, and departed in 
their chariot toward their own homes, parting 
with Homillia by the way at the gate of his own 
mansion. 

It was now evening, which, in the mortal accep- 
tation of the term, means the close of day, but in 
Paradise signifies a change of light, from the 
golden rays of the tempered sunlight to the crim- 
son rays of the evening sun, which often beautify 
the closing of an earthly day. Gabrela and 
Orvian were recounting the events of the last few 
days, when Gabrela said : 

"I have been in the kingdon of Heaven many 
days and have not yet been ordained; but last 
evening, when I was alone in an upper room in 
the house of Eola. I saw the sweet face of that 
same Cherub who remained a short time with us a 
few days ago. When I saw him coming from the 
direction of the Elysian Fields, over the tree-tops 
of the homes of the redeemed, my heart rejoiced, 
for I felt as though I would be with one who had 
lately seen Immanuel. In a moment he was in 



72 WHY WE LIVE. 

the quietude of my retreat, and as he viewed the 
beauties surrounding him he seemed pleased, but 
said he : 

" ' I have come as a messenger to tell thee that 
Immanuel will, before another change of sun, 
ordain a child just redeemed from Earth, and 
with her He will ordain thee, because thou hast 
been unto her a guardian and mother. When in 
her deformities and unsightliness she appealed 
unto thee for compassion, thou didst willingly 
take her and watched over her with a mother's 
tender care. Because of this, our dear Redeemer 
hath waited to ordain you together, after which 
thou shalt always behold her beautiful face, as 
she will see thine, though you may be separated 
at times by wide distances.' And then he disap- 
peared." 

By this time they saw the pearly gates of their 
own happy home open wide to receive them. 
When passing through they were agreeably sur- 
prised by the child- voice of Alva, who said : 

' ' Dear Gabrela, I have just come across the 
fields of Beulah, thinking that I would like to be 
here when you entered the gateway, as the Cherub 
Yernecis would join me here to go down to the 
Elysian Fields, where we shall meet thee, to be in 



WHY WE LIVE. 73 

waiting for her who once looked upon thee as a 
mother." 

ISTow this newly-redeemed soul, whom they were 
to meet on the shores of the Elysian Fields, was 
a daughter in the Earth whose parents walked 
according to the ordinances of Immanuel, which 
were written upon their hearts and inmost souls. 
But Immanuel, in His infinite wisdom, saw that it 
was needful for them to walk through the dark 
valleys of sorrow and poverty, therefore their 
daughter, though grown to woman's estate, 
because of her peculiar deformities, could not be 
provided for by them, so they appealed to many 
for aid ; but there was no ear of compassion that 
would hear, save one, who afterwards became a 
redeemed soul in Paradise, and whom the angels 
call Gabrela, and whom Yernecis and the little 
Alva will meet on the pearly shores of the river 
of Paradise, there to wait for her once helpless 
ward, whom the angel Gabriel had called away 
from suffering to enter into this beautiful world of 
rest and peace. 

As Alva was finishing his last sentence, ad- 
dressed to Gabrela, the angel Yernecis came down 
in the midst, and Gabrela recognized him as the 
beautiful Cherub who visited her at the house of 
Eola. 



74 WHY WE LIVE. 

After some conversation the two departed for 
the Elysian Fields, the home of Yernecis, as well 
as the home of all the Cherubim of Paradise, who 
dwell with their families or with one another and 
behold continually their kindred in Heaven, and 
with whom there is a perfect communion. 

After they departed, the chariot entered the 
grounds of their peaceful home, when many 
children came forth to meet them, with the joy- 
ous welcome which is ever the sweet music of 
every home in Heaven. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Sleep Which He Giveth His Beloved.— Meeting <sf Vemecis and His 
Sister Fidelia.— Fidelia With Her Friends Crosses the River of Para- 
dise and Beholds the Glories of Heaven.— lmmanuel Reveals Himself 
Unto Them, and Ordains Gahrela and Fidelia as Angels.— Fidelia is 
Taken by Her Friends to the Home of Altheous.— The Elysian Fields 
the Dwelling Place of the Cherubim. 

Now the changed beauty of the immovable orb 
of heavenly day, shining upon all the regions of 
Paradise, settled down upon the splendor of 
angelic creations in the glory of a crimson light. 
To this periodical change in the appearance of 
the sun, the angels apply the term of day and 
evening, in which there is no darkness, but one 
continual day, with no heat to mar the comfort of 
the angels of Heaven. These terms are applied 
in consequence of the angels choosing one portion 
of the day for repose. 

It was in this part of the day that Altheous and 
his family, retired to their couches of comfort and 
repose. Though the angels of Paradise never 
weary, there are pleasures in repose and sleep 
which are known only to the redeemed in Heaven. 

Again the morning of another day appeared, 
and the glory of its golden light shed again its 
rays upon the eternal homes of the redeemed. 

75 



76 WHY WE LIVE. 

And again my heart flowed out with thanksgiving 
to my dear Redeemer, when I saw the calm enjoy- 
ment of the angels, and as I beheld them partake 
of the ripe fruit of the trees of Paradise. After 
Altheous and his family had eaten thereof, they 
enjoyed themselves in recreations of pleasure and 
duty until the time when Gabrela and her hus- 
band should enter their chariot for the Elysian 
Fields, which time had now arrived, and soon 
they were on their way to join Alva and Vernecis. 
The latter, whose earthly body was also of great 
deformity and unsightliness, but after many years, 
even after the frosts of many winters had whitened 
his locks, disease, as a cloud, settled upon his 
existence, and at last the Archangel Gabriel 
brought his soul away to these regions of light 
and rest. And now he is waiting with Alva upon 
the pearly strand, to receive his beloved sister, 
whose new name he had learned, through the 
communing powers of a Cherub, to be Fidelia. 

While the little company were thus waiting, 
Vernecis and Alva, for the amusement of them- 
selves and the rest, would float far out over the 
waters, when suddenly, with a rapid descent, they 
would disappear beneath the waters of the river, 
to come out upon the pearly strand. And while 
they again w T ent out over the Jordan at a very 



WHY WE LIVE. 71 

high altitude, I saw them clap their hands with 
great joy, and soon they came by the side of 
Altheous and Gabrela, saying : 

' ' AVe have seen them coming, but we must go 
to meet them." 

It was not long before they were far away over 
the Jordan, toward the approaching new-born 
angel and the escort about her. With the small 
golden harps, which heretofore were suspended at 
their sides, they now poured out upon the air 
such music as only can be heard in Heaven, 
which, mingled with the melody of their voices in 
song, fell upon the ears of Fidelia with a thrill of 
transport and joy, for she now heard the voice of 
her once earthly brother, whom the Archangel 
called away to his home in Heaven some years ago. 

Presently Vernecis and his sister, whose name 
was now Fidelia, met, and it was to me the keen- 
est pleasure to witness the great joy which accom- 
panied the meeting of this long-separated brother 
and sister, together with their Airarch sisters, 
Yolinda, Edra and Elmea, who had for many days 
watched over the fading life of her earthly body, 
until her soul was transferred from suffering to a 
life of peace and rest, to be welcomed into their 
loving arms and escorted by them to their home 
in Paradise. It was not long before the little band 



78 WHY WE LIVE. 

arrived upon the pearly shore of the river of 
Paradise. 

But behold, there was no bark to ferry them 
across, as there was no gifted angel of creative 
power among them, and as they all possessed the 
power of aerial flight across the river, excpting 
Fidelia, who, being not yet ordained, was but a 
heavenly babe, therefore Yernecis, with the com- 
municative power common to all the angels of 
Heaven, informed Altheous of their need, where- 
upon he immediately created from the pearly 
shells of the strand a bark of great beauty, 
wherein Gabrela and himself embarked for the 
opposite shore. 

After passing innumerable voyagers upon the 
ruffled waters, they landed upon the other shore 
in the midst of the waiting band. After a truly 
joyous welcome from Altheous and Gabrela to 
their loved one, they entered the bark for the 
shores of Immanuel' s peaceful kingdom. As the 
prettily formed bark pushed out upon the waters, 
its strength and beauty absorbed the admiration 
of Fidelia. And again, as it sped swiftly through 
the waters, the continual variations in the splen- 
dor of the floating barks around them, filled with 
happy kindred and friends, just returning with 
their precious charges, or departing upon missions 



WHY WE LIVE. 79 

of love to some poor kindred soul on Earth, only 
prepared her for the sight of the greater mani- 
festations of glory yet to be seen, which, as they 
neared the other shore, rapidly came to her view, 
one after another, as the unfolding of a panorama, 
and, absorbed in the wonders about her, it was to 
her a surprise to find herself upon the shores of 
the Elysian Fields, among the homes of the re- 
deemed. 

As Gabrela and Fidelia were about entering the 
waiting chariot of Altheous, a silvery cloud over- 
shadowed the little company, when Immanuel, 
accompanied by Cherubim and Airarchs, revealed 
Himself unto them. And as He took Fidelia by 
the hand He pressed it with the fervor of paternal 
love and blessed her. He then picked from among 
the pearly shells a nugget of pure gold. As he 
breathed thereon it became the beautiful diadem 
of a Cherub, set with precious stones. Henceforth 
she took her station among the angels of Heaven 
a Cherub. 

Then Immanuel turned to Gabrela, and as He 
took her by the hand He blessed her also ; and 
again from a nugget of gold He formed a glittering 
diadem, with many jewels, and placed it upon 
her brow, and said : 

" Gabrela, my beloved, it was m the dispensa- 



80 WHY WE LIVE. 

tion of heavenly things that thou shouldst wait 
until this time, in order that thou shouldst possess 
one gift in common with the Cherubim, and rarely 
possessed by the angels of Heaven, for thou shalt 
be able to traverse the air, as do all the Cherubim 
and Airarchs of Paradise, and shalt behold my 
face even as they do." 

The next moment they saw Him no more, for 
He disappeared with the clouds and the hosts 
about Him, when Homillia came among them, 
who, with heartfelt expressions of pleasure and 
salutations of welcome, took the hand of Fidelia 
and then of her three sisters, who had for a long 
time been absent as guardian angels around her 
humble couch of suffering until her soul escaped 
from its deformed casket of clay, and was now a 
sister angel here in the midst. 

Now the joyful little band, composed of a 
brother and four sisters, entered the chariot with 
Altheous and Gabrela, where they found the little 
Alva waiting. Homillia also joined the company, 
for he had come all the way from Beulah, with a 
heart full of great joy, that he might be at the 
river shore to meet the newly-redeemed Fidelia, 
to welcome her to his own home, which was 
always ready with open doors for every one to 
enter therein who so desired, but especially for 



WHY WE LIVE. 81 

her, because it was the home of her sisters until 
the time arrived for their parents to leave their 
earthly home for one in Heaven, where they shall 
be united forever. 

And as Homillia had no use for his chariot, in 
which he came, he, by the power of his will, 
resolved it back to the elements from whence it 
was created. Now Altheous, with a chariot filled 
with kindred and friends, turned his course home- 
ward. It was a journey of absorbing interest to 
Fidelia, as every mansion and object along her 
way had its special history, to which she listened. 
At last they came to the home of Altheous, when 
they immediately alighted, taking Fidelia about 
the place to show her the beauties thereof and to 
partake with them for the first time of the fruits 
of Paradise. After which the four sisters and 
their brother Vernecis, with Alva, joined Homillia, 
who had entered a waiting chariot for his own 
home. They now bade Altheous and his house- 
hold adieu and departed through the beautiful 
gate of pearls toward home. 

I was now left alone to meditate on the glories 
of my surroundings and the transcending beauties 
of Paradise, and, while thus musing, I thought of 
the extreme beauty of the angels, and when at 
this moment I observed them here and there 

6 



•82 WHY WE LIVE. 

through the groves or about the mansion, as they 
seemed to glide from place to place with youthful 
steps, among the many sources of pleasure, my 
feelings became ecstatic, for everywhere, in every 
home in Heaven, the same beauty and peace, with 
the same continual summer abounded for the 
enjoyment of all, without regard to gift or station. 
Alva remained with the company until they 
arrived at the alabaster gateway of Homillia's 
mansion, from whence he left for his own home, 
where breathes the sweet music from the cascades 
of Delphia, and where his parents, Alvero and 
Eola. have reaped from the storms of the past the 
consummation of bliss, which shall endure forever. 
And here, with Homillia and many other children, 
amid the fruitful vines and sylvan groves, where 
run the babbling brooks, will dwell the three 
Airarch sisters, Yolinda, Edra and Elmea, while 
Fidelia and Yernecis, being Cherubim, will dwell 
among the perennial glories of the Elysian Fields, 
while unrestrained they roam the air of Paradise 
whithersoever they will, whether it be in the 
service of Immanuel or visiting their kindred 
among the mansions of Heaven. 



CHAPTER V. 

The "Worship of Jehovah in the Temple.— Gahrela's Works of Art.— The 
Worship of the Divine Immanuel.— Imraanuel the Creator of the 
Earth and Hadea— The Holy of Holies.— The Gift of Aerial Flight.— 
The Home of Alvero and Eola.— The Temples Belonging to Oriental 
Nations. — Ormond and Homilia.— Effendi Creates a Barge. 

It was but a few days after the redemption of 
Fidelia, when I was awakened from a pleasurable 
sleep by the chiming of bells in the temples of 
Paradise, which have had no occasion to ring 
since the last great redemption of lost souls from 
Hadea. 

In order to know more concerning the ringing of 
the bells of the temples, and concerning the use 
of the temples themselves, I inquired of Altheous, 
who had just invited me to drink of the nectar 
from a pulpy fruit, which hung in large crimson 
clusters from the drooping branches of a tree near 
by, and he said : 

"This is one of the notable days when Im- 
manuel Himself worships the great Jehovah, the 
Almighty God, before whose glory the vision of 
the angels grows dim. And when Immanuel, 
with the Seraphs and Archangels, worship Him, 
the angels themselves assemble at these beautiful, 

83 



84 WHY WE LIVE. 

temples, which are all dedicated to the service of 
Immanuel, and during these days, in honor of the 
Infinite God, there is a special provision in the 
dispensations of Paradise for the power of flight 
among all the angels in Heaven, that they may 
roam whithersoever they will throughout the 
realms of the redeemed and attend the sublime 
service of His Holy Temples, the splendor of 
which magnify the glory of the Archangels of 
Paradise, who are during these days found in the 
temples worshiping Jehovah and holding com- 
munion with the Seraphs and Archangels of the 
Heavens of other worlds, while Immanuel is 
found in His own Most Holy Temple, in the 
presence of the Seraphs of His own Kingdom, 
worshiping Jehovah and holding divine com- 
munion with the Redeemers of the Universe. 

^ Within the courts of the temples is the Holy 
of Holies. The sight thereof is veiled from even 
the angels of Heaven, who have never at these 
times beheld their inner parts." 

Having heard the voice of Orvian, Altheous and 
I responded to the call, and as we came to a ledge 
of a most beautiful emerald, spangled throughout 
with glistening flakes of pure gold, we found him 
admiringly viewing the newly created works of 
"Gabrela, being the earthly statues of dear friends 



WHY WE LIVE. 85 

left on Earth, and also the statuary of familiar 
scenes thereof. 

While Altheous and I were enjoying the per- 
fection of these works of art and the additional 
beauties surrounding them, the happy Gabrela 
now appeared from the direction of the grottoes, 
where there were many little children sporting in 
the pure crystal waters of the stream near by, and 
said, as she was drawing quite near us : 

"The time is at hand when we should go to the 
Temple of Gabriel, and there do reverence to our 
dear Redeemer, while with the Seraphs and Arch- 
angels He worships the Infinite Jehovah." 

I said, "Do not the angels also worship Je- 
hovah?" 

"No," said Altheous, "they worship Him 
through Immanuel. Having arrived at the highest 
state of bliss and at the summit of their exaltation, 
which shal] endure forever, they worship nothing 
higher or more holy than their Redeemer." 

Then said I, "If Jehovah is a jealous God, will 
not the worship of Immanuel by the angels of 
Paradise be displeasing to Him % " 

" Jehovah requires no allegiance from the angels 
of Immanuel' s Kingdom," replied Altheous, "for 
Immanuel, through the omnipotent power of the 
Eternal Spirit of Jehovah, created the Earth and 



86 WHY WE LIVE. 

Hadea and all that is contained therein, and in the 
divine relationship existing between the Infinite 
Jehovah and His Beloved Son Immanuel and the 
Seraphs and Archangels of Paradise, it becomes 
needful for them only to worship the Infinite 
Jehovah, while the angels wait in silent reverence 
before Immanuel in His Holy Temple." 

"Can you see any of the manifestations of the 
presence of Jehovah in the temples of the Arch- 
angels?" said I. 

"Very seldom," returned Altheous. "Every 
temple has its veil, behind which is the Holy of 
Holies, concerning which the angels seek not to 
know, well knowing that their Father and Re- 
deemer doeth all things well, and hath provided 
for them houses in Paradise, where rest, peace and 
happiness endure forever." 

Altheous having ceased speaking, we all with 
one accord took our flight for the temple, where 
the Archangel Gabriel waited to keep companion- 
ship with the angels of Heaven in their acts of 
silent reverential worship of their Redeemer. We 
soon found ourselves within one of the beautiful 
temples, .where there were tens of thousands of 
of angels ascending and descending its golden 
stairways, as they came to or departed from its 
sacred precincts, and unto whom Immanuel now 



WHY WE LIVE. 87 

revealed Himself, as a father speaking to his 
children, which was but the overflowing of His 
heart of infinite love toward not only the angels 
of Heaven, but every soul created in His own 
image. 

The Archangel Gabriel waited* in silence, and 
also after the dispersion of the vast concourse of 
worshipers for the day, went with the Archangels 
of the other temples of Paradise to the Holy 
Temple of Immanuel, which is dedicated to the 
worship of the Infinite God and the communion of 
the Redeemers of other worlds. 

It now being time for us to depart, we soon 
floated away at a delightful elevation, above all 
the charming glories of Paradise. We now turned 
our eyes toward the great Temple of Immahuel. 
But behold ! the clouds of glory, which encom- 
passed the awfal majesty of Jehovah, had veiled 
it from our sight, but knowing that we had arrived 
at the consummation of perfect bliss, and attained 
to that for which we were created, we sought for 
nothing more and turned our course toward the 
distant parts of Paradise, thus taking the ad- 
vantage of our gift of flight, which was the design 
of our dear Redeemer, in order that there should 
be none of the glories of Heaven hidden from the 



88 WHY WE LIVE. 

eyes of the redeemed ; nay, not even to the un- 
gifted among them. 

Having now found ourselves to be over the home 
of the happy Alvero and Eola, we descended upon 
their beautiful lawn, they having just returned 
from the same temple from which we came. 
After having partaken of some of the fruits 
brought into existence by the fertile imagination 
and creative will power of Eola, we invited Alvero 
and his little family to join our company in an 
aerial voyage to the distant parts of Paradise, 
purposing to visit on our way the many temples 
of worship, which invitation was readily accepted. 

As we were now passing over a continual suc- 
cession of varying scenery of landscape and river, 
we saw the exhibition of every conceivable variety 
of taste and adornment in the creation of angelic 
homes. Now we saw in the distance a temple, 
which was created after the fashion of a towering 
Pagoda, with its glittering ornaments trembling 
in the genial sunlight of Heaven, and the vast 
multitude of angels arriving and departing. I 
could see plainly that we were now among the 
redeemed souls from the Oriental nations of the 
Earth. We now entered this temple of splendor, 
which was of marble and alabaster, while the 
floors, the roof, the ornaments thereof were of pure 



WHY WE LIVE. 89 

gold, and here we found tens of thousands of the 
redeemed worshiping Immanuel in the awful 
silence of the Temple, while the Archangel bowed 
in silence before Jehovah. 

Having performed our part in these solemn 
duties, we now took our departure for other parts 
of Paradise, visiting the temples on our way, and 
as we passed from one place to another, viewing 
the homes of the blessed, it seemed strange from 
my contracted earthly views to find here, among 
these beautiful hills and valleys, the happy homes 
of the redeemed from all the heathen countries of 
the Earth. 

As we had been passing over this glorious pan- 
orama for a great distance, we one and all came 
down by the side of a pure white mansion, in the 
midst of fruitful groves and fragrant flowers, 
where we were met by a large number of happy 
angels, who came forth from the mansion and 
from various places of resort. They were all of 
one family and had just returned from their 
temple of worship, which was created by the will 
of the Archangel Michael, through the omnipo- 
tent power of Immanuel. In remembrance of 
the sincerity of the earthly followers of Moham- 
med, who had worked out a clean conscience and 
found a place among the redeemed in Heaven, it 



90 WHY WE LIVE. 

was fashioned, as were many others, after the 
various temples of worship which were so inti- 
mately connected with earthly associations. 

In this instance I again saw the display of that 
sympathy and compassion, which our dear Re- 
deemer shows toward the ignorant in all their 
conceptions, when accompanied with a pure heart 
and clear conscience, whatever may have been 
their faith concerning even Himself or His laws. 

Now Ormond and his family, with fraternal 
welcome, bade us stay with them for a season and 
partake of their fruits, many of which were new, 
even to Altheous and those of our company who 
had been v in Heaven a much longer time than 
myself. Therefore we all with one accord sought 
the fragrant groves near by, where from the 
abundance of ripe fruits we feasted and rejoiced 
in the society of each other, as the genial con- 
versation flowed on and on concerning Heaven, 
the Earth and its associations. 

I found that some of the beautiful angels who 
were entertaining us were the sisters, the mother 
and the wife of Ormond, but as there is no sex in 
Paradise, there now remains between them all a 
new bond of affinity, which binds them in affec- 
tionate companionship to all eternity, while the 



WHY WE LIVE. 9) 

little Airarch children gather around them through 
the same bond of affinity and affection. 

I also learned that Ormond, when on Earth, 
believed in Allah, and that Mahomet was his 
prophet, and that his life was in strict accordance 
with his faith. While he was bravely fighting 
nnder the standard of the crescent and leading on 
the hosts of Islam, in the cause of Allah and his 
prophet, against Homillia, who was also fighting 
under the standard of the cross, and bravely lead- 
ing on the soldiers of Immanuel, the Archangels 
Gabriel and Michael stood over the field of battle, 
and while many a soul stepped out alone into the 
darkness of Erebus, from among the contending 
hosts of either side there were some who heard 
the voices of the Archangels, who called their 
souls away to realms of rest and peace. And 
among these were Homillia and Ormond, both of 
whom had done the will of their. Heavenly Father, 
according to their conceptions of duty. And 
when the soul of Ormond was called away from 
the sorrows and strifes of his earthly career, he 
found, leaning over his dying form, the guardian 
spirits of Effendi, his mother, and Fatina, who 
was his earthly wife, according to the teachings 
of him whom he believed to be the true prophet of 
Allah. 



02 WHY WE LIVE. 

They, having heard the sound of the trumpet 
of the Archangel Michael, at once joined the in- 
numerable hosts about him, and when at last they 
came upon the scene of battle and heard the voice 
of the Archangel call aloud for the soul of Or- 
mond, they flew to the side of the fallen soldier, 
and affectionately leaning over the dead body of 
their once beloved Ormond, they received his soul 
as a new-born babe, and, with tears of joy, he 
found himself among the redeemed, where there is 
no more war, but instead peace and joy forever. 

While Effendi and Fatina, who had often come 
from Heaven as guardian angels over his earthly 
existence, were now his companions in bliss, and, 
as before mentioned, were now bound, not by 
sex and relationship, but by the silver cords of 
affinity, which is the incentive among the angels 
of Paradise for the re-formation of families. 

Having now arrived upon the shining shores of 
the river Jordan, Effendi, with uplifted hands, 
created, by the power of the gift of Immanuel, a 
beautiful barge, in which they passed over to the 
shores of the redeemed, where they found a glit- 
tering chariot waiting, created also by Effendi. 
As Ormond stepped upon the pearly beach, the 
little company heard a voice from above, saying : 
" Ormond, my beloved." 



WHY WE LIVE. 93 

Then a moment later Immanuel appeared un- 
veiled before them. Taking Ormond by the hand 
He blessed him. Then, lifting a beautiful shell 
and a small nugget of gold from the strand, He 
breathed upon them and they formed themselves 
into a glittering diadem of pure gold and shining 
pearls. Having placed it upon his brow, He 
turned toward each one of the little company and 
blessed them. In a moment He disappeared from 
sight. 

Now, as an ordained angel of Paradise, Or- 
mond, with his beloved mother, wife and children, 
with whom he was to enjoy a happy home of rest 
and peace forever in the Paradise of Immanuel, 
stepped into the beautiful chariot, and they were 
soon swiftly passing over the golden pavements 
of the city of Immanuel, which the angels more 
often term Paradise, or Heaven. And ere they 
came in view of the region of their kindred, they 
passed many thousands of the blissful homes of 
the redeemed, scattered all along their joyful way, 
while the air was filled with happy Airarchs and 
Cherubim, with an occasional angel, having the 
abiding gift of aerial flight as the reward of some 
heavenly virtue, won by patience and suffering 
when walking in the shadows of an earthly life. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Fields of Elysium.— Memorial Monuments of the Dead.— The Everlasting 
Sleep.— The Ministration of Cherubim.— The Aerial Flight.— The 
Eeunion of Nationalities.— The Archangel Ignatia.— The Repose in 
the Temple and Communion with Immanuel.— Lucifer, the Son of the 
Morning.— Lucifer and His Followers Sleep the Eternal Sleep.— Im- 
manuel the Savior of Mankind and the Creator of the Earth and 
Hadea.— The Communion with Immanuel in His Holy Temple.— Reve- 
lations to the Soul of Man in the Visions of the Night.— The Divine 
Palace of Lucifer.— Inspired Words of Fidelia. 

It was now drawing near the time for our little 
company to depart, and with many expressions 
of enjoyment on the part of all present, and my 
own heartfelt satisfaction at being able to form a 
short narrative of the life of Ormond and his 
family, we ascended above the perennial verdure 
of the groves, and turned our course in the direc- 
tion of the Elysian Fields and the everflowing 
waters of the river of Paradise, whither we pur- 
sued our way with the gentle ease of a summer 
cloud, when I inquired of Altheous concerning 
the extent of the Elysian Fields and the course of 
this river, which washes its extended shores. 
Altheous, with an expression of pleasure at this 
opportunity for my instruction, said : 

" Whichever way one may direct his course 
from this place, he will come upon the beautiful 

94 



WHY WE LIVE. 95 

Fields of Elysium, and can bathe in the crystal 
waters of the river. For Paradise is a star in the 
firmament of the universe, a place of consummate 
bliss in the ocean of Eternity, whose shores are 
skirted with these 'fragrant and fruitful groves, 
while the waves of the Jordan continually break 
upon its pearly shores. When we come to the 
Elysian Fields we will be far away from the place 
where we are wont to ferry the newly redeemed of 
our kindred across to the happy shore. But we 
will follow these fields and the shores, until at last 
we find ourselves not far from our homes." 

As we continued to pass over the beautiful 
panorama of the homes of the blest, where the 
mansions and their surrounding gleamed out from 
the foliage around them, reflecting the genial rays 
of the golden sunlight, my attention was drawn to 
the twinkling reflection of some far off surface, 
and then in the distance beyond I could faintly 
discern vast myriads of what seemed to be white 
specks upon the back-ground. And as Gabrela 
possessed almost unlimited sight, and could see 
these objects plainly, she informed us that the 
twinkling appearance was the reflection of the 
sunlight upon the ruffled surface of a large body 
of water, and the white specks beyond were the 
small memorial monuments of the dead. 



96 WHY WE LIVE. 

''Look!" cried the little AJ.va, with a joyful 
heart, " I see thousands of beautiful gondolas and 
barges, filled with the angels of Heaven, moving 
upon its shining bosom, and I also see the little 
Airarch sisters, with their brother Yernecis, among 
the memorials of the dead." 

"Yes," returned Gabrela, still looking with a 
clear vision into the far distance, seeing the cor- 
rectness of Alva's statements. 

Altheous, who had been much interested in their 
discoveries, said : 

"The body of water which you see in the far 
distance is the river of Jordan, and the white 
stones beyond are the memorial monuments of 
unhappy souls from Earth or Hadea, each one of 
which, having had the holy law of Immanuel 
written upon his conscience, and being persistent 
in his disobedience thereto, caused its brightness 
to grow dim, until at last it became darkness, when 
the poor soul was as a ship without a compass. 
And now Immanuel, not in anger, but with the 
compassion of infinite love, sends forth His mes- 
senger of death to deliver it from mortality, not 
to be put upon a new probation in Hadea, for he 
has lost his tablet whereon was written the holy 
law, therefore having no law to guide or direct his 
path, he wanders away upward and onward. 



WHY WE LIVE. 97 

Hadea being veiled from his sight, he lingers not 
there, but still upward his soul takes its flight, 
until he breathes the sweet perfumes from the 
vernal shores of Paradise which bring on a long, 
deep sleep, from which he never awakens. Though 
an angel might seek to find the soul thus passed 
away into the sleep of death, his search would be 
in vain, for it has resolved itself into the nothing- 
ness from which all things originated." 

From what I had just seen and heard, I was 
desirous to be at this distant point of my vision, 
among the monuments of the sleeping, the only 
memento of the souls who have failed to pass 
through the ordeal of Earth or Hadea, and there- 
fore through the infinite mercy of Immanuel now 
sleep. 

But then our time passed pleasantly away, as 
we moved along over the panorama of receding 
objects below, and conversed on the goodness of 
Immanuel and the glorious lives of the redeemed, 
until we had crossed the great river and alighted 
on the opposite shore, among the monuments of 
those who sleep, and the innumerable multitude 
of Cherubim and Airarchs, also angels of Heaven, 
who have come a long distance during these days 
of divine communion and special gifts of the 
redeemed, to visit, not the graves : but the me- 

7 



98 WHY WE LIVE. 

morials of kindred souls, who now sleep in un- 
conscious rest forever. 

These beautiful mementoes are created by the 
special will power of the Cherubim, whose voca- 
tion is also to use their boundless vision and gifts 
of communion for the ministrations of love and 
mercy toward the poor wanderers over the track- 
less void of Erebus, who have some dim light of 
conscience still remaining, but not enough to 
reveal the location of Hadea as they ascend in 
their flight toward Heaven. 

Now unto these poor wanderers the Cherubim, 
who see them afar off, fly away as it were on the 
wings of love to meet them, and as guardian 
angels lead them to their homes in Hadea, lest the 
sweet fragrance from the groves of Heaven might 
lull them into their everlasting sleep. 

After a while we came upon our little friends, 
the Airarchs, and their brother, Vernecis. The 
latter had just created a beautiful little monument 
in remembrance of a wandering soul who had but 
a short time before laid himself down to rest in 
his eternal sleep, and upon the monument was 
inscribed the name of the sleeping soul, it having 
resolved itself into the nothingness from which it 
was created. 

"Vernecis," said I, "since thou art a Cherub, 



WHY WE LIVE. 99 

and knowest of the things pertaining to the shores 
of Erebus, and art a guardian angel along its 
coast, I ask of thee, would this same soul have 
passed away in its endless sleep in any other place 
where blows the perfumed breeze of Heaven ?" 

"Yes," said Vernecis, " wherever such a soul 
breathes the sweet odors of Paradise, the effect 
will be the same." 

"But," said I, "does it not wound thy feelings 
of compassion when thou hast to lead back a 
wandering soul to Hadea?" 

"No," said Vernecis. "The wisdom with 
which Immanuel has clothed me, in common with 
all the angels of Heaven, enables me to look 
through trials and suffering to the end, where I 
see the consummation of His wisdom. For if the 
soul which I lead back to Hadea will meet with 
patience and resignation the crosses which he may 
have to bear, I feel sure of finally greeting him 
at some future time as a redeemed soul in Heaven, 
to enjoy rest and peace forever." 

Our company consisted of Altheous and Ga- 
brela, with their family, also Alvero, Eola, Alva 
and myself. Having been joined by Vernecis and 
his Airarch sisters, we ascended far above the 
objects around us, and, led by Vernecis, we re- 
crossed the river and continued our flight over the 



100 WHY WE LIVE. 

Fields of Elysium, following the course of the 
shore. We were now going at the usual speed of 
angels traversing the air, which is oftentimes so 
increased that the eye of a mortal being could not 
discern them. 

It was with a sublime feeling of exaltation that 
in this company of happy, joyous angels, I was 
able to navigate the air above me without the as- 
sistance of any power, not even the aid of wings, 
which are so intimately associated with the earthly 
ideas of angelic existence, but by the simple action 
of the will, which is all-powerful in the disposition 
of the body and is the gift of Immanuel accorded 
to all the redeemed of Paradise, but varying 
greatly as to its degree and continuancy. 

I now saw the innumerable habitations of the 
Cherubim, which stud the Elysian Fields in their 
vast circuit of Paradise. They were truly beau- 
tiful in their designs. Like all the temples and 
habitations of Paradise, gold was paramount ; the 
porches were supported by ornamental pillars 
formed either of gold, silver or precious stones or 
from some of the great varieties of precious rock, 
so gayly ornamenting the natural scenery of Par- 
adise. 

In the creation of these habitations for the 
Cherubim the furnishing and embellishing of them 



WHY WE LIVE. 101 

is the delight of gifted angels, for no sooner is 
there a soul redeemed from Earth and ordained 
as a Cherub, than the nearest gifted kindred or 
friends proceed to create for him a beautiful home 
in the midst of the foliage and fruits of Elysium, 
overlooking the river of Paradise. 

The constitution of a Cherub is such that he is 
never lonesome, wherever he may be, as he pos- 
sesses the gift of holding vocal communion with 
other Cherubim and many of the angels of Heaven 
at any distance, while at the same time there is a 
spiritual intercourse common to all the angels of 
Heaven, however widely they may be separated. 
He not only beholds his Heavenly Father' s face, 
but also the face of whomsoever he may be hold- 
ing converse with. 

We were now nearing many of those familiar 
scenes which indicate our near approach to the 
region of the redeemed who came from the Chris- 
tian countries of the Earth, which fact I observed 
to those around me, when Altheous said : 

" It was not the design of our Heavenly Father 
that the redeemed in Heaven should be thus sepa- 
rated on account of their earthly nationalities or 
creeds. But in His creation of man He wisely 
formed a bond of affinity, which draws kindred 
to kindred, not only on Earth, but also in their 



102 WHY WE LIVE. 

spiritual existence as angels of Heaven. And 
this is the reason of the reunion of nationalities, 
and oftentimes those having entertained widely 
different views when on Earth are here united. 
But nevertheless there is but one faith entertained 
by the redeemed of Paradise, and that is in what 
they realize with their own eyes and experience 
each change of day, which is the end for which 
they were created and made to live for a season in 
earthly bodies, subject to all the vicissitudes of 
mutability." 

Altheous having finished speaking, Gabrela 
now drew our attention to an object which some 
of us could but just discern, as its towers and 
minarets shone from the mist of the vast sea of 
foliage around it, but which in the next few 
moments became distinctly visible, even to Althe- 
ous and those of us whose vision was not as perfect 
as Gabrela' s. 

It proved to be a temple dedicated to the wor- 
ship of Immanuel, around which were a great 
number of angels, many of whom we now began 
to meet and recognize as acquaintances, on the 
way toward their own homes. 

As it was toward evening, when there would be 
but few remaining about the temple, I was anxious 
to see the Archangel who ministered over these 



WHY WE LIVE. 103 

regions and presided in the temple before us. My 
companions, in order to gratify my desire, moder- 
rated the speed of their flight, and we slowly 
floated upon the air toward the temple, but while 
we were yet some distance away, innumerable 
Cherubim and Airarchs seemed to come from all 
points of the compass and alight upon the bal- 
conies adorning the temple, until there seemed to 
be a legion of them waiting for the appearance 
of the Archangel, whose named I learned to be 
Ignatia. 

Soon there gathered about the golden dome of 
the temple a mystic cloud, when the Archangel 
appeared upon the broad balcony from the Holy 
of Holies. It overshadowed him and he departed 
with a legion about him to the great Temple of 
Immanuel and the Fields of Eden. Yernecis now 
discovered his sister Fidelia standing upon the 
jasper steps and leaning against a golden pillar 
of the great porch of the temple, whereupon our 
little band descended, and in a moment we were 
at her side. After the usual salutations, she said : 

"I have just returned from Earth, in obedience 
to the voice of the Archangel Ignatia, and while 
there Yernecis communed with me concerning the 
sweet companionship of his kindred and friends, 
who had for many days enjoyed with him the gift 



104 WHY WE LIVE. 

of aerial flight, as they visited the temples of Im- 
manuel and saw the many wonders of His wisdom 
and creation." 

It being evening, she concluded by proposing 
that we all seek repose upon the downy couches 
of the temple, which are always ready for the use 
of the angels passing by. We then retired to our 
couches, the drapery of which exceeded in beauty 
the most perfect idea of earthly excellence man 
could conceive, as it was composed of material 
known only to the angels of Heaven, and was 
created by the Archangel Ignatia, after he had 
finished the formation of the temple. 

There is an association connected with the repose 
of angelic beings, which still more intensifies the 
glory of their existence, for in these hours of 
repose Immanuel shows forth His omnipresence 
and affectionate remembrance of every redeemed 
soul in Paradise, and this fact I learned to ap- 
preciate, for at the first indication of a change of 
day I yielded to the habitual inclination for 
repose, not for the reason of weariness, but more 
for the pleasure of beholding the face of my dear 
Redeemer, which I, with the greater part of the 
angels of Heaven, could not always enjoy without 
repose or the occasional silence of wakeful hours. 

Therefore the temples of Immanuel are open 



WHY WE LIVE. 105 

continually, whither the great multitude of the 
redeemed of Heaven are wont to repair, as there, 
in the still silence of the temple, Immanuel ap- 
pears before them in person, as a loving father, 
conversing with His children. Even as He comes 
unseen, with the wooings of love or the gentle 
voice of reproof to the silent, waiting soul of 
Earth. 

Now again I behold the mellow light of another 
morning, and soon again the great bells of the 
temple rang out their silver tones upon the peace- 
ful air, which now chimed in with the bells of 
every temple in the kingdom of Immanuel. From 
this it was known by the redeemed of Heaven that 
every Archangel was in his own temple, to worship 
Jehovah and to preside over the multitude who 
came there to manifest their love to the Redeemer 
and to see His benign countenance. 

Before I had yet passed out from my beautiful 
retreat, and ere the dying tones of the bells had 
ceased, I heard the loud calls from the trumpet 
of the Archangel Ignatia, as its distinct sound 
came forth from the tallest minaret of the temple, 
to die away until its last faint echo was lost among 
the groves of Elysium. 

I had now descended from my place of repose, 
in the midst of our little band of angels, who were 



106 WHY WE LIVE. 

clustered near a sparkling fountain, intently gaz- 
ing upward toward what I found to be the reced- 
ing form of the Archangel Ignatia, whose pure 
white robe truthfully symbolized his angelic 
nature. 

As we were waiting for the appearance of Yer- 
necis and Fidelia, we heard the soul -thrilling 
strains of celestial music, as they came borne 
upon the air with the approaching angels, who 
now began to alight upon the golden porches of 
the temple. Presently Yernecis and Fidelia came 
down in our midst, Yernecis saying : 

"¥e have just come from the presence of the 
Archangel Ignatia, who spoke concerning the 
great joy of Immanuel over every soul of Earth 
who was prepared to be called away into his 
everlasting rest, to share with Him the happiness 
which He Himself possesses, and how from the 
beginning He appointed the Archangels and 
Seraphs of Paradise to celebrate this, His great 
joy, by calling aloud, with the voice of His great 
trumpets, the name of the accepted soul who shall 
soon be among the redeemed of Heaven." 

I also learned from his lips that Jehovah, by 
the omnipotence of His power and the guidance 
of His infinite wisdom, created the universe of 
innumerable spiritual worlds, whose courses were 



WHY WE LIVE. 107 

governed by systems and centers of systems, and 
which were for the habitation and dominion of 
each one of His children, there to be creators like 
Himself in their beautiful worlds, which He called 
Paradise. 

But there was a Son in the constellation of His 
children, even Lucifer, His first-born, and the son 
of the morning of His creations, who, because of 
his infinite power, and being surrounded by 
legions of Archangels and angels, children created 
by the word of his power, became proud and even 
exalted himself to be equal with Jehovah. 

Therefore there was war in Paradise for a season, 
Lucifer and his Archangels and angels contending 
against the Most High, but they were cast out of 
Paradise, when they wandered along the shores 
of Erebus, attempting in vain to recross the Jor- 
dan, which, with every endeavor, became a tem- 
pestuous flood. 

Now the Most High made poisonous every per- 
fumed breeze of Paradise which reached the shores 
of Erebus. Lucifer, having returned with the 
innumerable hosts of his rebellious angels from a 
voyage into the regions of space, in quest of a fit 
place to create a world of his own, now inhaled 
the narcotical breath as its sweet odors came over 
the waves of Jordan, under the influence of which 



108 WHY WE LIVE. 

they laid themselves down to sleep on to eternity. 
Now there was a lonely void in Paradise, becanse 
of the fall of Lucifer, who was cast out from his 
own beautiful realm, whereunto he was ordained 
a ruler and creator. Therefore, Jehovah, the 
Creator of the Universe, sent forth from the many 
sons of His creation a Ruler of Paradise, who was 
to share with Him the glory of omnipotent power, 
and whom we call Immanuel, and whom we 
worship as one with God. But lest He should 
glide into the error of Lucifer and fall from His 
high estate, Jehovah ordained that in due time 
He should share the infirmities of His children, 
who should be mortal. 

Immanuel, in the solitude of His loneliness, as 
He moved through the glories of His eternal 
realm, longed for the companionship of angels, 
whereupon He went out through the wide expanse 
of Erebus, where He created the Earth, a world 
without form and void of every green or living 
thing. Now for the first time He walked upon 
the face of its waters, and by the word of His 
power He divided its surface into sea and dry 
land. He made it to resemble the realms of Par- 
adise, but from necessity made all things mutable. 

Then He created two living souls, in the image 
of Himself, and placed within them pure white 



WHY WE LIVE. 109 

tablets, to be kept spotless and without blemish. 
He also made from the dust of the earth two living 
bodies, after the image of the souls which were to 
dwell therein. These bodies, being mortal and 
made from the dust of the earth, were endowed 
with passions which called aloud for many neces- 
sities, which required to be satisfied, but kept in 
subjection, lest the body should fail in its office 
or return unto the dust from which it was created 
before the completion of its mission. 

These living bodies, existing and co-operating 
with the requirements of the souls therein, were 
called man and woman, and being created male 
and female, were to form families in the Earth, 
which were to multiply continually. 

Thus our Heavenly Father created the Earth as 
a cradle and nursery, from whence He gathered 
around Himself the glorious companionship of 
angels, whom the Archangels call unto their 
inheritance at times and under circumstances 
which accord with His own wise purposes. And 
the soul who bears within himself the brightest 
tablet when called away from Earth, shall stand 
before his Redeemer in Heaven as among the 
brightest stars in the constellation of angels, in 
whom is the glory and the great joy of Immanuel. 

Vernecis, having recounted to us many of the 



110 WHY WE LIVE. 

words of Ignatia, now gave place to Fidelia, who 
said: 

" I heard the communing voice of the Archangel 
Ignatia calling me away from earthly ministrations 
for a time, that I might join you here on the way 
to the memorial island of Lucifer, who was the 
only one among the Sons of God who ever fell 
from his high estate." 

Having partaken of the plentiful fruits about 
us and drank from the crystal waters of the foun- 
tain, we departed for the Temple of Immanuel. 
We soon ascended its steps and entered therein, 
where, in the quietude of the hoar, we saw the 
face of our Heavenly Father, who addressed the 
assembled multitude of His children, telling them 
how well it pleased Jehovah and how acceptable 
it was to Him to behold the angelic children of 
Paradise presenting themselves with tablets pure 
and white before their Redeemer, and saying : 

"This is the consummation of all the plans of 
the infinite wisdom of Jehovah to create the in- 
numerable worlds, which exist as stars in the 
firmament of Eternity, each one of which is a Par- 
adise similar to this beautiful world wherein you 
now behold the face of your Redeemer. And in 
His omnipresence He delights to manifest Himself 
to His exalted children throughout the realms of 



WHY WE LIVE. Ill 

Eternity. I have rejoiced in His. presence for 
many days, and though veiled from the sight of 
many of you, He has been in our midst and re- 
joices in My glory, and My glory is yours also." 

And as it was the privilege of His children 
present to confidingly hold converse with their 
Redeemer, Gabrela said : 

"Dear Lord, we have seen our beloved brother 
Ormond, who dwells far away from here, and who 
bears special tokens of Thy redeeming love, and 
we learned from him that when on Earth he walked 
not according to the commandments of Thy law, 
as it was originally written upon his tablet, but 
having in all innocence walked under the light of 
a perverted and misled conscience, he was not 
happy, and Error always lingered around his 
pathway. Earth to him was a dark vale indeed. 
But, because of the sincerity of his heart and the 
innocence of his misled conceptions, Thou didst 
pity him in his helplessness, and, being moved 
with compassion, didst reserve for him a home in 
the Paradise of Thy glory, where at any time he 
could behold Thy face. 

"But Thou, O, Infinite Father, hast made it far 
different with many through their earthly pil- 
grimage, for when, in the stillness of every 
passion' s cry and the quietude of their minds they 



112 WHY WE LIVE. 

have sought to know Thy will, without going to a 
brother or neighbor, Thou didst, through the 
ministrations of Thy Holy Spirit, bring to light 
the faded portions of Thy law, which had been 
written upon the conscience, and they were thereby 
enabled to distinguish between virtue true and 
false, and in degenerate times to re establish their 
perfect standard over waning truth and virtue. 
Thus representatives from every nation, tongue 
and creed have walked the earth as followers of 
this true light, and have reveled in Thy continual 
approbation and love, enjoying during their 
earthly pilgrimage a foretaste of this beautiful 
home of the redeemed." 

" Yes, my beloved daughter, I have prepared a 
foretaste of the glories of Paradise for all of my 
children on Earth who walk after the inward law 
revealed to them in the quietude of their waiting 
souls." 

Immanuel and the Archangel now faded from 
our sight, and the multitude departed from the 
temple. We then departed with Fidelia and 
Vernecis, passing along the shore until we came 
to the place where we usually met the newly re- 
deemed of our kindred and friends from Earth. 
But oh for the language to give justice to, or a 
painter's vivid touch to portray, the beaming 



WHY WE LIVE. 113 

happiness of the new-born angels, as we saw them 
at various points along our journey, surrounded 
by their happy escorts, ferrying across the beau- 
tiful river, or alighting from their pretty barks, to 
make the first impress of their feet upon the shin- 
ing shores of their beloved home. 

From this point we ascended to a high altitude 
and turned our course toward the central portion 
of Paradise. Upon the left we could have looked 
down upon the vast extent of the Fields of Eden, 
if it were not for the canopy of glory which still 
overhung its sacred territory, in honor of the 
awful presence of the Omnipotent Ruler of the 
Universe. 

And while we looked down upon the transport- 
ing scenes beneath us and swept on in our course, 
the transport of our feelings broke forth in the 
inspiration of songs of praise and thanksgiving, 
while from our harps the air resounded with the 
sweetest strains of melody. Swifter than the 
storm-winds was the speed of our flight, which 
carried us far away upon our course toward our 
destination, which could be discerned plainly by 
the Cherubim and Airarchs of our company, in- 
cluding the gifted Gabrela. 

With a moderation in our speed we continued 
on our course and enjoyed the sweet flow of an 



114 WHY WE LIVE. 

instructive conversation, wherein Fidelia breathed 
forth a most beautiful truth : 

u The soul and mind of man are one. The 
earthly body, with the mind and conscience, have 
a nerve connection, whereby a transient sense of 
pain or pleasure in hours of wakefulness often- 
times arouses the brain and mind to action, when 
the body, through fatigue, has yielded to a state 
of sleep. And as the mind and body are thus 
bound together in the harmony of such a con- 
nection, it will be evident, even to the finite 
capacities of man himself, that when he is lost in 
the slumbers of repose and dreams of the pos- 
session of that will-power whereby he is enabled 
to move with delightful ease upon the air, without 
the needful aid of either wings or other means of 
flight, it is but the activity of the soul still con- 
fined in the. prison-house of clay. So many of 
the gifts of this future life are revealed to man in 
the visions of the night, by the occasional stirrings 
of the faculties of the soul." 

We now looked down upon a far different scene 
from all the glories over which we had yet passed. 
I saw in the distance a great sea, out of the center 
of which arose an island, as a beautiful gem, from 
the bosom of its crystal waters. Here were still 
existing the works of the fallen Lucifer, con- 



WHY WE LIVE. 115 

spicuous among which is the Divine Palace, the 
beauty of which still mingles with the preserved 
glories surrounding it. 

"This island, the relic of sublime and infinite 
love," said Fidelia, "is preserved in compas- 
sionate remembrance of Lucifer by the Infinite 
Father and Creator of the Universe, who will, ere 
the evening sun, in the presence of Immanuel and 
His legions of angels about Him, ascend on high, 
amid the melody of music and song, with His 
own legions, to disappear into the Heaven of 
Heavens, where," continued she, 

" Worlds by countless millions dimly shining 

In the dark and trackless void, 

Mark the path Jehovah treads, 

As he moves in. glory through 

The sky ; a myriad of children 

In His train rejoice in realms divine to reign. 

Jehovah, source of light and love, 
Ketires from these bright hills and vales, 
Green with the sunshine of a Savior's care. 
We have rejoiced to see His form, 
But content with that alone, we 
Inhale anew the balmy breath 
Of Heaven's eternal summer, 
While again we sip of the sweetest 
Nectar the flowery cups exhale. 

Content with our Redeemer's love, 
With tablets pure and white 
We walk the streets of gold ; 



116 WHY WE LIVE. 

Or shining chariots bear us on through 
Regions 'neath perennial summer skies. 
Oh ! happy is the lot of him whose 
Earthly prison-house has lost 
Its bolts and bars, while angels 
Gather near to lead the captive free.*' 



CHAPTER VII. 

Immanuel "Worships Jehovah.— Story of Caina — Ministration of Child- 
Angels to the Dwellers of Hadea.— The Kedemption of Souls.— A 
Cherub's Inspired Words.— The Immutable Laws of the Eternal 
World.— The Creative Power of Mind.— The Tablet of Conscience — 
The New Jerusalem. 

Now when tlie mellow, heavenly light of evening 
clothed with rapturous beauty the already beau- 
tiful scenery about us, we saw the object of our 
supreme love, wrapped in the mantle of divine 
power, as He seemed to come from a different part 
of the heavens. 

At this moment we again beheld the prostrate 
form of our Savior and Redeemer before the white 
Throne of the Infinite One. At this there was not 
one of all the angels of Heaven who did not veil 
the vision from his sight, and with prostrate form 
wait until this exhibition of such transcendent 
glory had passed away. 

The sound of music and the praises of increas- 
ing hosts of angels, which first made the air to 
quake about us, now seemed to recede, and at last 
was heard no more. And when we arose we 
beheld the form of Immanuel, seated upon the 
Throne of His glory, when the multitude of His 

117 



118 WHY WE LIVE. 

children bowed and worshiped Him. Then said a 
Seraph, who stood at His right hand, and who 
held a small scepter, which shone with burning 
brightness : 

"As Jehovah has visited Paradise, and shown 
forth His infinite power and love, even so did Im- 
manuel once walk the streets of Jerusalem, but 
only to taste of the infirmities of His children and 
to die at the hands of the wicked. He then 
showed to His children His love, and poured out 
His blood, that they might know of their Ke- 
deemer, and that they might learn to call upon 
His name, and that He might again enter into His 
glory, to be the Redeemer of His children, includ- 
ing those who slept." 

As the angels of Heaven once more veiled their 
faces from His glory, He vanished from our sight. 
Then all the angels of Heaven turned their courses 
homeward, there to continue on in the joyous 
vocations of angelic life. 

As I found myself a part of the same little band 
who had come hither to behold the transcendent 
glory of Jehovah, I was much pleased and greatly 
increased was my delight when we were joined by 
Abella and his brother Caina. For Caina told me 
the sad story of his wickedness, and how his sin 
seemed more than he could bear, and when his 



WHY WE LIVE. 119 

body, being tilled with disease, sank back to its 
dust, the awfulness which surrounded him when 
he found himself disembodied and cast upon the 
shores of the unknown. Said he : 

"There was a soul-sickening dread of darkness 
and a fainting desire to see even one small ray of 
light. With the desire, I found I had the power 
of flight, which something within me said would 
endure but for a short season, so I wandered in 
the cold and darkness of an unknown void, and 
each day, as the darkness grew but more dense, 
my heart sank the more within me, but at last my 
feet seemed to find a place of rest. I heard fierce 
wrangling and the clanking of chains, and then 
all my old passions seemed to burn within me, 
when suddenly the dreaded surroundings were 
unveiled to my sight. Now I saw plainly the 
life which was before me. But oh, the agony of 
my soul, which seemed as a worm that could not 
die. I again cried, as I did when the Lord set His 
mark upon me and sent me forth with a mur- 
derer' s heart and as a vagabond in the earth, for, 
as then, my punishment seemed greater than I 
could bear, it now seemed a thousand fold more 
intense, yet there seemed to be no hand to save. 

"Death, though courted, put forth no deliver- 
ing power. My extreme hunger and the cold 



120 WHY WE LIVE. 

which made me seek the warming fire, drove me 
to the fierce struggle of life. When long days of 
dark despair had settled as a canopy about me, I 
believed it to be the enduring wrath of God. 

"But oh, the ages of misery which seemed 
locked up within but a few days in that dimly 
lighted worM. Once, when I laid my weary head 
upon a couch that gave no rest, my fevered brow 
and troubled brain seemed more than I could bear. 
But suddenly I sprang to my feet with a wild 
surprise, for I heard the voice of a child, in ac- 
cents of pitying love. She appealed to the last 
remaining ember of my better nature. But as 
with inward joy I strained to see the source of 
that sweet voice, and as I heard it no more for a 
long season, I sadly yielded to the impression that 
it was only' the hallucination of my mind. So 
the days, yea, many long years, rolled on,* as I 
worked in the rude arts belonging to the condition 
of demons. 

"In the course of time I found, in the lives of 
some about me, subdued and anxious souls, who 
told me how beautiful children came from another 
world to woo us away from the scenes of strife 
around us, and also from the companionships of 
those who failed to improve amid the scourges of 
Hadea, and therefore were led by hands unseen 



WHY WE LIVE. 121 

away from the scenes which surrounded them. 
Whither they were gone no one in that dark place 
could tell, but since that time it hath been shown 
me how Immanuel, in His compassionate love ; 
sends forth the fragrance of Elysium to soothe 
into the arms of eternal death and nothingness 
the wandering soul which has proved a failure in 
His creation. 

"But there came a time when, in the restless 
slumbers of the night, the horrors of my lot 
seemed as the molten burnings of woe. Then a 
small babe-like child came to the side of my 
couch. I was amazed, as I was before. I sprang 
for the door of my room, but the voice of the child 
seemed to have a key note, which touched the 
only soft place in my heart. I now stood as one 
entranced, and as I listened to sweet, inspiring 
tones., which spoke of a place where Abella dwelt, 
and then as I still drank deeply from the words 
which flowed from her lips, and as her tiny hand 
was laid in my own rough and calloused j>alm, I 
succumbed to the power of my great joy, and as 
I lay upon the hard stones of my chamber floor, 
the soft hands of my once darling Ethiel brought 
me once again to myself. When she departed I 
was shown that long years were yet mine to suffer 
ere my deliverance came." 



122 WHY WE LIVE. 

Caina, in the extreme of his happiness, now 
pansed to brush away the glistening tears that 
filled his eyes. In the meanwhile I said : 

"There seems not to have been the same dispen- 
sations concerning thee, as there was following 
close by the footsteps of our beloved Alvero." 

"No," said Caina, " the light which Immanuel 
placed in the darkened heart of man, in order 
that he might not grope his way blindly, and so 
that he might know good from evil, was not so 
near utterly quenched but what there was a feeble 
gleam of light still remaining which shone dimly 
about his pathway, until he found himself upon 
the soil of that dreadful school of the unre- 
deemed. But far otherwise was it with me and 
such as I, who had failed in the appointed trials 
of an earthly life. For had it not been for one of 
the ever- watchful Cherubim, who so faithfully 
guard the footsteps of the unredeemed and the 
lost, I would have passed by the awful abode of 
the supremely wicked and finally slept my eternal 
sleep upon the shores of the river of Paradise. 

"At long intervals I would see for a few 
moments at a time the child angel, Ethiel. I at 
last learned to hunger for her coming, and on 
those occasions I found within me renewed long- 
ings for a better life, whereupon I became more 



WHY WE LIVE. 123 

constant in my prayers for her presence, and the 
more earnest they were the more frequently she 
came as the messenger of glad tidings to my long- 
ing soul. 

"Many were the generations of men who had 
mingled again with the dust of the Earth, while 
their spirits wended their way toward Heaven or 
their appointed probation, ere the simple plead- 
ings of my heavenly Ethiel won my calloused 
heart to love the name of my Redeemer. Though 
the afflictions which encompassed me about in 
time past were wont to draw forth curses from my 
lips, they now seemed but a poor equivalent for 
that promised home where Abella and Ethiel 
dwelt, and where my Redeemer, with them, would 
meet me at the river shore. 

"The time came when there were tokens of 
something unusual, for the souls whom a life in 
Hadea had purified and made ready were led by 
the hands of Airarchs, who were there in great 
numbers, but no one could depict the feelings of 
my heart when I saw the gathering hosts of the 
angels of Immanuel, and, more than all, when I 
saw bounding through the air the form of the little 
Airarch Ethiel, my child, the silver tones of whose 
voice rang out upon that noon-day air with these 
words : 



124 WHY WE LIVE. 

" 'Come, father, all is ready! ' 
"With a pitying look upon those about me who 
had yet many years to remain, I ascended with 
her to the waiting hosts above. Ere long the 
gathered multitude moved on. Ethiel said : 

"'Father, henceforth let no sadness mar thy 
joy, for these thou hast left behind, if faithful, 
will in due time rejoice with us in the presence 
of our Redeemer.' " 

As we were now coming quite near the heavenly 
homes of Caina and his kindred, Caina said : 

"Thou canst well conceive the rest of my story, 
for as it was in the day when our Redeemer took 
Alvero by the hand and blessed him and clothed 
him with the robes of an angel, even so was it with 
me. Blessed be the name of my Redeemer." 

We now bade adieu to Caina and his brother, 
with those accompanying them, and soon again 
we were welcomed to our own homes by those 
who had arrived there before us. 

To muse over the great events and wonderful 
scenes of the past few days, I retreated to a vine- 
clad bower, close to the pebbled stream of a woody 
dell, and there, under the influence of soft music, 
as it gently fell upon my ear from the golden 
harps among the branches of the trees, I thought 
of the bliss and the endless life of Paradise, and 



WHY WE LIVE. 125 

with a thrill of joy arose the fond hope of an im- 
mortal life for dear kindred and friends on Earth. 
I now heard the welcome voice of Gabrela, as she 
sang from her heart with a melody belonging only 
to an angel of Heaven, and the rustling of her 
nearing footsteps gave me the sweet promise of an 
interchange of heavenly thought, the realization 
of which was mine to share, as she now recounted 
the many wonders of the Kingdom of our Re- 
deemer, reserved only for the knowledge of the 
redeemed sonl. But I learned from her that flesh 
and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, 
and as these are the elements of the animal nature, 
they are necessarily confined to the Earth and 
Hadea, and are the means by which the sexless 
soul of man shall become purified and made fit 
for the enjoyment of an eternal life. And until 
the immortal spirit of man shall escape from the 
servitude of the ever-crying demands of this flesh 
and blood, a thick veil shall hide him from the 
sight of the better land, where no living creature 
with an earthly nature shall mar the perennial 
joy of their lives, wherein sorrows shall be lost in 
the eternity of happiness. 

There having now assembled a large concourse 
of angels at the heavenly mansion, we turned 



126 WHY WE LIVE. 

away to greet them and were soon rejoicing in the 
midst of many I had not seen before. 

It is not in the power of language to justly 
portray the transcendent beauty of the scene 
which was before me. The fascinating beauty of 
each individual angel, as he bounded with elastic 
step, and at times scarcely touched the smooth 
verdure beneath his feet, seemed enough for my 
now seraphic enjoyment. But the sight thereof 
was soon accompanied by the smooth running 
stream of social enjoyment flowing out from their 
heavenly natures and the felicity of their sur- 
rounding, which, with the brightness of the glit- 
tering chariots, clothed in all their varied beauty, 
as they stood waiting upon the green field ready 
to move at the will of their seraphic owners, 
together with the enchanting splendor of every 
visible object, brought me to contemplate the 
condescending love of the Infinite Jehovah to us, 
through His beloved Son, Immanuel, who thus 
prepared for us so glorious an inheritance, such 
as will never fade away. And also the awful 
sublimity of Infinite Power, • of which I can only 
find expression in the inspired words of a Cherub, 
who also mingled in the company, and who was 
of very ancient birth, when in poetic language 



WHY WE LIVE. 127 

he spoke as one standing among the children 
of Mortality : 

" Myriads of worlds, seen and unseen, 

As burning lights bedeck the vastness 

Of eternity. What is Earth 

That Thou, oh incomprehensible 

Source and Fountain of all things, 

Should take thought of its existence, 

Or heed the mingled murmurings 

Of its anxious hearts, 

Or be glad at their ephemeral 

Rejoicings, when, as an atom 

Of dust in the dizzy depths 

Of eternity, Earth moves on 

With its companionship of countless 

Worlds through space, perhaps 

Where never yet its course 

Had been before?" 

" But Thou, Jehovah, source of light 

And life, delightest in every work divine 

Of Him who formed the Earth, 

With Hadea's dark abode, 

Who reigns with love supreme in Paradise, 

All His works Thy hand upholds." 

Before we proceed farther it will be well for us 
to be reminded that, as the immortal spirit is in- 
visible, the heavenly world in which they dwell is 
also unseen and governed by immutable laws of 
motion and existence, from whence comes its end- 
less duration and the eternity of life and happi- 



128 WHY WE LIVE. 

ness therein, while Earth and the things therein 
are subject to changes and uncertainties. 

I will also rehearse briefly some other truths 
surrounding this beautiful Paradise and its angels. 
The first, which stands out with the greatest 
effulgence, is mind and its creative power, decreas- 
ing in its power with each successive distance from 
the great Author of the Universe, until, when 
clothed with mortality, it becomes only inventive, 
but executed with the weary toil of mortal hands. 

I saw that food was not to support angelic life, 
but as an enjoyment they partook of its rich pro- 
fusion, prepared by nature' s hands for their use. 
Next comes to our notice the enlarged duties of 
the well known principle of inward law, or con- 
science, which becomes as a tablet, recording with 
an unerring memory every item of knowledge, as 
well as that concerning good and evil. 

Act of judgment, thought, and consideration 
become a part of its vocation, and here I saw 
distinctly that what on Earth was termed con- 
science, was but a small glimmer of the angelic 
mind, which bursts forth as the rising sun upon 
the new-born angel, who has just been emanci- 
pated from the durance of mortality. And the 
nearer man keeps to the smgleness of this small 
part of the angelic mind, which is ever under in- 



WHY WE LIVE. 129 

fallible control of the Divine Spirit, the clearer 
will be unto him its action. 

So I found no occasion for the recording of 
events or of thought in the Kingdom of Heaven, 
as every redeemed soul was an inexhaustible 
library unto himself. I saw no display of handi- 
craft, therefore all things were supplied through 
the process of nature' s law, directed by the great 
powers of the angelic mind. 

As every object on Earth is developed by the 
slow process of natural causes, directed by the 
creative power of Immanuel, even so are the angels 
of Heaven enabled to do continually greater works 
than the miracles of holy men of old, and because 
of their creative power there is no exchange of 
possessions, consequently no cities, large or small, 
for the convenience of traffic. 

Paradise, the New Jerusalem and Haven of 
Rest, is a city of mansions, interspersed with green 
fields, foliage, fruits, and flowers, with rarer 
beauties unlawful to name, while its pave- 
ments are of pure gold, where the glory of Im- 
manuel' s presence makes glad the hearts of the 
redeemed, while no night, no toil or weariness 
disturb the joy or the rest of its people, and where 
evil melts into nothingness before His love. 

We must now return to that seraphic assembly 



130 WHY WE LIVE. 

of social beings at the home of Altheous and 
Gabrela, for there, in the midst of our enjoyment, 
we heard the long deep vibrations of another 
trumpet-call, succeeding the interlude of deep 
silence which followed it. I heard the joyous 
shouts of the three Airarch sisters, which were 
mingled with sweet strains of music from the 
golden harps of Yernecis and Fidelia. 

These four sisters and their brother, together 
with Gabrela, having the power of aerial flight, 
arose from the happy assembly and remained in 
the air above them for a season until the mystic 
clouds had almost overshadowed them. Amid 
the loud anthems to Immanuel from the assembled 
angels, accompanied by the ever delightful sound 
of heavenly music, they departed for the mutable 
regions of Earth. 

When Seraphs and Archangels sound the great 
joy of Immanuel from their golden trumpets over 
each soul to be redeemed from mortality, there is 
a ripple of ecstatic emotion beyond the veil, en- 
circling the death scene of some dear one, who is 
soon to be a heavenly babe in their midst. And 
thus it was in the hour of pestilence, when death 
went forth as a mighty conqueror to lay low in the 
same dust the master and the slave. 

In such an hour I saw the dread scourge as a 



WHY WE LIVE. 131 

pall settle about the lovely cottage of two aged 
pilgrims, named Jacob and Martha, who, through 
the desolation of sickness and death, had been 
brought nearer to a close dependence upon their 
Heavenly Father. Their five children, three small 
babes, and two others, who, after long years of 
pitiful deformity, were gathered to their eternal 
home, while they themselves plodded the weary 
length of their seemingly long pilgrimage alone, 
in physical weakness and poverty, until the dire 
plague came, as an instrument in the hands of 
their Redeemer, to break the bond which bound 
them to the trials of an earthly life. 

And now friends and neighbors, who revered 
their many virtues, gathered around the empty 
caskets to lay them away tenderly and silently in 
the lonely confines of the tomb. But how was it 
beyond the veil, from whence bright streams of 
glory oftentimes light up the dark chambers of 
the sick and dying % 

I saw there a little band of angels, consisting 
of Cherubim and Airarchs, with Gabrela as their 
companion. I also heard the sound of the min- 
strels of Gabriel approaching, and again I beheld 
him, arrayed in the brightness of his glory, pre- 
senting unto these children of Paradise the newh T 
redeemed souls of father and mother, around 



132 WHY WE LIVE. 

whom they gathered with fresh garlands of 
fragrant flowers, while music and the voice of song 
declared the great joy of their hearts over their 
final reunion with parents, so loved and revered. 

The little band, with their precious charges, 
having left behind them the fleeting shadows of 
Earth, now pressed on through the dark wastes 
for the shores of Immanuel. The happy company 
of angelic friends and neighbors still continued at 
the house of Altheous and Gabrela, where they 
resolved to await the return of the joyous escort, 
who were quite near, and in view of many. Now 
with instruments of heavenly music and bright 
flowers of sweetest fragrance, they made welcome 
the new-born angels of Paradise, who had now 
arrived, having all passed through the gates of 
pearl, save Gabrela, who waited for her Redeemer. 

Here again I saw the final meeting of that once 
afflicted family, a part of whom were destined to 
walk the thorny path of earthly life, under the 
gloomy canopy of continued sorrow and disap- 
pointments. 

But where shall we find eloquence of language 
or the power of imagination sufficient to give the 
faintest idea of the glory which now surrounds 
them. They, with the angelic multitude around 
them, with prostrate forms and faces toward the 



WHY WE LIVE. 133 

Throne of Immanuel, endeavor to glorify with 
praise and thanksgiving their beloved Redeemer, 
who, having walked with them through all the 
deep trials of mortality, hath now gathered them 
all within the eternal fold of His precious lambs. 

At this moment I saw in the far distance an ap- 
proaching cloud, with the rays of divine glory 
issuing therefrom, and ere the adoring multitude 
had risen from their posture, the glory of Im- 
manuel had overspread them. I now beheld the 
Archangel Gabriel among the host which accom- 
panied Him, together with a number of Seraphs, 
and also many Cherubs and Airarchs, with a 
number of the higher order of angels, whom our 
Lord and Redeemer delights to gather around 
Him, among whom I beheld the beautiful form of 
Gabrela descending with her Redeemer and the 
host about him. 

As the escort of Immanuel now stood over the 
assembly of angelic kindred, friends and neigh- 
bors, there came as a rippling wave, clear heavenly 
music from harps and other instruments of gold, 
when suddenly all was stillness. Immanuel and 
the Archangel Gabriel descended to the prostrate 
forms of the once Jacob and Martha. Said he : 

" My beloved children, arise ! " 

He now took from the hand of the Archangel 



134 WHY WE LIVE. 

two golden crosses, with two jewels of great 
beauty. He breathed upon them and they became 
two beautiful diadems of gold, decked with many 
precious jewels. After He had placed them upon 
their brows He called them by their new names, 
which were Zenola and Ordelia. He now blessed 
them, saying': 

u You have been tried in the furnace of affliction 
and have been purified, therefore the wings of the 
air shall be your chariots, and you shall behold 
my face, as do your children. When you behold 
me, with the Seraphic Host, depart from the midst 
of you, turn your eyes toward the mansion of 
Homillia, the home of your children, for close by 
I have prepared a place for you, where you shall 
build a beautiful house, not made by hands, but 
by the power of the gift which is in you, and 
there you and your children, who have become 
the Airarchs of my Kingdom, shall dwell forever." 1 

He now departed amid loud shouts of " Glory 
to Him who saved us and redeemed us to be His 
children in Paradise." 

It was not many days after this, their first 
entrance upon the bliss of eternal life, when I 
beheld his father and mother in their heavenly 
home, with their three Airarch children about 
them, while Yernecis and Fidelia are continually 



WHY WE LIVE. 135 

before their vision, with whom they may hold 
communion at any time. Here, beneath the 
mellow light of an eternal day, they have received 
the inheritance of the patient in affliction, where 
peace, joy and eternal rest shall be their portion 
forever. 

The mutable elements of Earth being now stirred 
in seeming wrath against themselves, I heard the 
voice of thunder, amid the flash of the lightning' s 
glare, out of which I heard the voice of our Re- 
deemer, saying : 

" In a little while shall the number of places 
prepared for my children equal the number of 
families whom I have sent forth into the world. 
Then shall I declare, by the voice of the trumpets 
of the Archangels, that Time shall be no more.'' 

Amid continued shocks of the contending ele- 
ments around me, I awoke from my dream, the 
memory of which is as a continued stream of cool- 
ing water, from which I am often refreshed, and 
unto which I invite many, that they may also be 
refreshed. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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